Dreaming Out Loud
by Ed Westwicker
Summary: Acacia Lestrange is Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter. Set after the war. She's an orphan and everything is going to change when she meets the students at Hogwarts who judge her because of her mother. Please R&R! Rated T for language and violence.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Everything except for my ideas and my character belong to J.K. Rowling and I proudly give that to her!**

**So, I came up with this idea while I was watching Meet The Robinsons (I know, how lame?). I hope you like it. Yes it is AU but I love it all the same!**

XoXo

I was lying on my bed, working on a lesson that my teacher had given me earlier that day. I looked up with an eerie feeling sitting in my stomach. I moved to the window seat and tucked my legs underneath me. I am a typical eleven-year-old. All except for one thing. Sure I have everything normal. Hair, clothing, a place to live, and food. But I am an orphan. I pretty much hate everything about being an orphan. It makes me feel like I am weak because there isn't anyone to tell me how to wear my clothing, or how to wear my hair or wipe away my tears when I cried because I'm miserable. A knock came at the door that was barring me from the entire orphanage. I slowly stood up and walked to the door. "Acacia?" Mistress Caroline said softly.

"Yes," I replied quietly, refusing to look up at her.

"Look up at me!" she commanded. I turned my dark brown eyes up at her and bit my lip to look innocent. I knew what she was going to say. She was going to say that they were taking me away because I do bad things to little children. But it isn't my fault! I swear it isn't! I have no control over what I do. But I can't necessarily say that I would stop it if I could. "There is someone to see you."

I looked up at Mistress Caroline with my eyes hardening in anger. She knew that no one would want me. I'm too hard. I've been through too much to have people want the pretty little eleven-year-old. Bloody hell, I'm too old! "Yes, Mistress Caroline."

"She is going to come in to talk to you." I looked behind her and saw a woman dressed in black with a tight bun on the top of her head. She nodded curtly to me and then turned to Mistress Caroline.

"I wish to speak to her alone. If you do not mind," she said stiffly. Mistress Caroline nodded once and then swept down the hallway with her long dress trailing behind her. "Hello, Miss Lestrange," the woman said with a tight smile.

"How do you know my last name?" I asked as I had been taught. Do not beat around the bush, only ask questions that you really want the answer to and never take no for an answer. The woman smiled all the more and then let out a slight laugh.

"I taught your mother," she said. "You see, I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am here to tell you that you will be attending our school on September the first. If that is all right and you want to learn about your powers."

I was gaping at her, I could tell. My mouth was open in an "o" and I wasn't proud of it. I had always been taught that grace and beauty were the keys to success. Not that many people would know that considering how I've been acting lately. "What do you mean?" I asked with my mouth finally closing.

"I mean that at this school we shall teach you more about your powers as a witch and how to use them. Again, only if you choose to accept my proposal," she said slowly as though I was a child.

"You said that you taught my mother. What was she like?" I asked, gathering as much information that I could about the woman that I never knew.

"I will not speak of this now," she said, suddenly sobering up. "Do you or do you not accept my proposal?" She was harsh now, something that I could understand. Even if I was only eleven, I was one of the coldest people I knew!

"Of course. I'll be damned if I was stupid enough not to accept your bloody proposal!" The woman nodded. I still didn't know her name.

"Someone will be in touch soon." I nodded and then watched as she glided out of the door. I was jumping on this inside. Not that I would show it. But there was some part of me that was scared to watch her go, what was I getting myself into? I would know before September the first, I guess.

XoXo

**Sorry this one is so short. I wanted to introduce my character. Acacia Grace Lestrange. I'll go into her history the next chapter. I'm slightly proud of this and you'll understand why soon! So, R&R! I'll love you if you do!!!**

**-Ed**


	2. Apologize

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Everything except for my ideas and my character belong to J.K. Rowling and I proudly give that to her!**

**So, I came up with this idea while I was watching Meet The Robinsons (I know, how lame?). I hope you like it. Yes it is AU but I love it all the same!**

XoXo

That was my first encounter with the mysterious Professor McGonagall of the unknown Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My second was only one day before September first, the day that I was to actually begin my schooling. I can only remember a few snatches of this day. Such as when I got my wand, 12 ½ inches, holly, with a core of phoenix feather and was good for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Kind of ironic now that I think about it. I remember going to get my first set of robes and Madame Malkin almost dropping her sewing things when she saw my face. I remember asking Professor McGonagall why.

"Why is she frightened of me?" I asked her boldly. Professor McGonagall gave me a tight smile and then took me into a corner.

"You look just like your mother," she said, wiping any traces of laughter off of her face.

"So?" She hadn't explained anything to me. She was talking in riddles now. "I don't see how that should matter. I never knew my mother, why would anyone else?" I still didn't understand. Had my mother been a tyrant? Had she killed someone? Why was no one answering my questions?

"That is a question for another day!" McGonagall said fiercely. I took a step back from the sudden harness in her voice. "Now, Acacia. We must really move on, so pick your robes and then we can continue along Diagon Alley."

I nodded with my head held high and then walked to Madame Malkin. She cautiously measured me and picked out a few robes for me. We bought them and then walked to the Owlery and then a few other places. The rest was just a blur. I will never forget the fear that was clearly written in her eyes. She was frightened, just like the rest of them. But why couldn't I know what was wrong with my mother?

XoXo

The day I was to go to the Hogwarts Express was one of the most exciting in my life. I couldn't wait to get out of the orphanage for almost a year! I could barely contain my excitement! I mean, I had some friends that I was sad to leave, but most of the people were completely horrible to me. They had no sense of what would hurt and what would leave lasting scars on my heart. They called me a freak because people showed up to talk to me time and time again, but would always leave.

Mistress Caroline took me outside to her car as soon as the trunk had all of my things in it. I kept my tawny owl up with me. Her name was Helena, after Helena of Troy. Or Greece, or whatever. She was beautiful! And she was mine! I kept fingering the locket on my neck that held a note. It read:

_This is my daughter, Acacia Grace Lestrange. She is very content and shouldn't be a problem for you. Don't expect someone to come for her, because they won't. Take good care of our daughter. _

_-Bellatrix Lestrange_

It had nothing else, just that. It was nice to know that my mother cared enough to give me to an orphanage. Anyway, back to the main story. When we arrived at King's Cross, Mistress Caroline asked me if I knew where to go.

"Yes, ma'am," I lied quietly.

"Are you sure?" she asked me again, probably able to see through my lies.

"Yes, I am." I looked her full in the face with my wide brown eyes. She nodded quickly and I could see the tears fill her eyes. She pulled me into a surprise hug and wouldn't let go. "Mistress Caroline!" I mumbled. "I can't breathe!"

She released me and then looked at me again. "We are all going to miss you, my dear. Don't get into too much trouble and make lots of friends. Remember your manners and grace and beauty is the only way to win a man's heart!" I smiled at her and then grabbed my trunk and owl from the car. I walked to her again and then waved goodbye/

XoXo

I was finally away from the place that was known to me as hell on earth! And yet, somewhere in my heart I was scared. I wanted to know what would happen when I was on my own, but how would I? I had no idea how I could see into the future. But I knew that I wouldn't even if I could.

I made my way to platform 9 and looked around for a platform 9 ¾. I didn't see one anywhere, but I saw a large family making their way to the platform I was at. I ran up courageously and looked at the one that I thought was the mother. "Excuse me!" I called. She looked up and her eyes widened with recognition. She stopped and her husband looked at her with quizzical eyes.

"Yes?" she answered her eyes still wide with recognition.

"Do you know where I can find platform 9 ¾? I can't find it anywhere!" I practically whined. The only thing with being an orphan is that I know how to beg. She nodded and smiled at me.

"Yes. Why don't you come with us?" she asked sweetly. I nodded this time and looked at her sons that she had gathered around her. "No. These are not all of mine."

She could obviously read faces as well as anyone. I was slightly upset because of this fact. "Whose are they then?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

She blushed but answered my question all the same. "Fred is my nephew," she said, pointing at a redhead with bright green eyes. "Victoire is my niece and Teddy is of no relation to this family." I smiled at all of them. "And this is my own son. James!" she said sharply. A boy poked his black head out of a luggage cart and smiled cheekily at his mother. "Do not do that again!" She strode over to him and slapped him on the hand. The boy let hurt show on his face, but didn't dare let tears fall.

"I am Ginny Potter by the way. You are?" Ginny asked cautiously.

"Acacia Grace Lestrange." I watched the woman's eyes glaze over in anger. She turned away and looked at her husband. She obviously didn't think that I could see. Her husband looked at her and then at me. His eyes widened in recognition, I knew that I looked like my mother, but did I really resemble her that much?!

"Acacia, this is my husband. Harry Potter. Follow James into the platform," she said curtly. She obviously wasn't that nice anymore, given who I was. Obviously. If only I knew who I really was and what my mother meant to this world.

James Potter smiled at me and nodded. I obligingly followed him into the platform. Whatever that meant. I soon found out. We ran through the wall and saw a bright scarlet train in front of us. "Cool!" James said loudly. I smiled at him with my own amazement clearly written on my face and I followed him into the train. We put our things onto the train and found an empty compartment. "I should probably go and say goodbye to my folks."

I nodded and was content to look outside the window and be excited by the fact that I was finally leaving the place I hated. I knew that I wouldn't feel weak here; I would show my strength and my wits and my determination. It didn't matter that everyone would most definitely be afraid of me, I had power and I was ready to use it. I looked outside my window and saw Ginny and her husband yelling at James. He looked upset and for some reason that gave me satisfaction.

He arrived back on the train and was singing a song under his breath. "What are you singing?" I asked. He looked up at me in surprise, almost as though he had forgotten that I was there. Then he smiled and granted me a surprise concert.

"_I'm holding on your rope, got me ten feet off the ground. And I'm hearin' what you say, but I just can't make you sound. You tell me that you need me, then you go and cut me down. But wait. Tell me sorry, didn't think I'd turn around. You say._

"_That it's too late to apologize. It's too late. I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late. Yeah. Oh-h._

"_I take another chance, take a fall, take a shot for you. Oh I need you like a heart need to beat with this love for you. Yeah, I loved you with a fire red, now it's turning blue. And you say. Fallin' like an angel, heaven let me think was you. But I'm afraid._

"_It's too late to apologize, it's too late. I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late. Whoa-oa. It's too late to apologize, it's too late. I said it's too late to apologize, yeah-ah. I said it's too late to apologize. Yeah-ah._

"_I'm holdin' on your rope. Got me ten feet off the ground."_

XoXo

**So there you go. Another chapter in the life of Acacia. R&R. Tell your friends, tell them to tell your friends and don't forget to READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed, I love you all! Thanks soo much! You have no idea how much it makes me want to write when I see that there's a new review!**

**-Ed**


	3. Scarred

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Everything except for my ideas and my character belong to J.K. Rowling and I proudly give that to her!**

**So, I came up with this idea while I was watching Meet The Robinsons (I know, how lame?). I hope you like it. Yes it is AU but I love it all the same!**

XoXo

I looked at James with a huge smile lighting up my face. He shook the tears out of his eyes and looked down at his parents with a grimace. I wanted to touch him and ask him what was the matter, but he barely looked at me. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but it was fairly obvious. His mother and father hated my guts. Though I had no idea why. He finally turned to me when the train pulled away from the station and he could no longer stare daggers at his fierce parents. I could see his blue eyes shining with tears and his black hair pulled low over his eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked confidently. I cowered back from the abruptness of his question. He still gazed at me with those intense eyes.

"Why?" I asked him as my way of an answer. My whole motto of grace and beauty was long forgotten by the time I gazed into his warm eyes.

"Because my parents don't like you and I want to know why!" he explained shortly. I shrugged my shoulders and looked out of the window. He suddenly reached his hand out, clasped my chin and forced me to look at him. I let out a gasp of surprise. He held my chin until my eyes focused on him. "Tell me why they don't like you!" he whispered fiercely.

"I don't bloody well know!" I practically screamed. "If I knew do you think I would be sitting with you instead of creating chaos around the train?"

He shook his head. Obviously he had no idea what I meant. "I don't know. How do you not know who your family was?"

"Because no one knew at the orphanage. My parents were wizards; the orphanage wasn't full of wizards. I believe that I was the only one, actually," I said matter-of-factly. He looked at me with a straight face, but then burst into laughter. "What?" I was hurt; people were wounded if they laughed at me. I raised my wand and looked at him with maliciousness glinting in my eyes.

"Nothing. You just sound older than eleven. Much older than eleven." He shrugged his thin shoulders. I looked at him with a look of something much less than reverie. He didn't understand that I knew what I sounded like. He didn't understand that I purposefully sounded like that so that I could fit in easier than I usually did. "You never answered me."

"What do you want to know? Who I think I am? Or who I know I am?" I asked him, I knew it was deep and that he probably couldn't handle it, but I knew that I could.

"Both," he replied easily. Obviously he wasn't new to this kind of thing. Be it flirting with girls, or answering deep questions.

"Well, I know I'm Lestrange. I don't know what that means, but that's what I am. What I know I am is that I am independent, and I know what I want and I will use any means to get it." I smiled at him and noticed that he was looking at me in a different light. We both heard a knock at the door and looked up simultaneously.

"There you are!" a red-headed, bright-eyed boy said excitedly. James' eyes brightened as soon as he saw his cousin. I looked back and forth between the two of them and saw few similarities. James was bright-eyed with laughter and intelligence while his cousin was bright-eyed with laughter.

"Dude! Fred!" James jumped up and I immediately sunk into the shadows. I wasn't content with that, but I was content with watching the cousins react to each other. They both looked at me and then started laughing.

"What?!" I asked furiously. That was one of the many things that I couldn't stand! Being laughed at! They stopped laughing right away and shrugged. "You'd better tell me! You have no idea what I can do!"

"Oh really? And what can you do Mistress Acacia?" James asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"I actually have no idea. I just hate it when people laugh at me for being different," I confessed, hanging my head. I always hated having lame excuses for anything.

"We weren't laughing at you silly!" Fred said with a smile. I looked up at him with confusion etched clearly into my face. "We were laughing at the fact that you would come and sit with a Potter!"

"What do you mean?"

"Your mother hated our parents!" I could see James shaking his head furiously. "Haven't you ever heard anything about your mum?" he asked, clearly confused. I shook my head with perfectly executed shame. "Weird. Your mum was pretty influential in some laws that were passed about sixteen years ago."

"Sixteen years ago?!" I asked in amazement. He nodded his head and looked at James. He shrugged but kept his eyes out of the window. "But I don't understand! What can you tell me about her?" I asked him, barely able to contain my excitement.

"Nothing much. Just the basic stuff that my mum and dad have told me. Like your mother was related to Teddy's grandmother and your mother killed her niece. How your mother almost killed my aunt but my grandmother stepped in and killed her. How she created a string of terror that no one could break. How do you not know any of this?"

"Because I was raised in a regular orphanage and not a wizard one!" I snapped at him. How could someone like him be so idiotic? "Why do you care what I do and don't know?!"

"How about I show you both something?" James intervened. I looked at him with my brown eyes as cold as they could get. I didn't care about how much they hated me at his moment, I just wanted to know why it mattered what I did and didn't know.

"Fine," I sighed, sinking back into my seat. For some reason, the news about my mother didn't surprise me. I guess I had gotten enough looks from other people to know that she and my father were horrible people. That they didn't have hearts and only cared about one person, themselves.

James dug out a guitar from underneath his trunk and pulled out a notebook. He flipped through a few pages and started strumming on the guitar. In a few minutes, the compartment was filled with sweet music.

"_She came from a small town, hypnotized by the big city life. She came looking For a piece of action, All she got Was the big city life. She tried to convince herself, This Was leading somewhere. Just like on the last day of school, They were gone By the time she got there._

"_She's like "wooooah" I finally found my place. And I'm like "wooooah" This girl can't keep them boys away. And she say's "nooo", see I used to have dreams. But I cashed in something long ago, that I can't redeem._

"_Once you are, just another cut away, Now your scarred, And these scars won't fade. I still know, you don't get something for nothing, Without giving up your soul. She got the get it look with the drink in her hand. And she feels like no one. She tries to put the past behind her, but she still owes him. If I ever get out of this place, things will be different. She still hides at the bottom of the bottle, and cries when she looks in the mirror._

"_She's like "wooooah" am I looking at myself. And I'm like "wooooah" I don't see nobody else and she say's "nooo", That's the price I paid And it'll cost me my life Just to get out of the game._

"_Once you are, just another cut away, now your scarred, and these scars won't fade. I still know, you don't get something for nothing, without giving up your soul. Once you are, just another cut away, now your scarred, and these scars won't fade. I still know, you don't get something for nothing, without giving up your soul (x2)"_

He looked at us expectantly. I looked at Fred with the same look of surprise on our faces. The other song that he showed us was good, but this one was deep. He was looking at us with that look of expectancy still written on his face. "It was amazing!" Fred burst out, giving his cousin a high five.

I shrunk out of the compartment and sat down on the floor, just outside of a loud compartment. I looked at my wrists, faint scars from past mistakes writing their stories on my arms. I could feel the hot, angry tears falling onto my cheeks. I knew that it was wrong, but how could I stop? My life was horrible and everyone hated me because I was a Lestrange! Like it was my fault I was the daughter of someone horrible! They weren't even looking for me! But maybe that was because they were glad to be rid of me. Maybe I would never know. But I did know one thing, I was expected to be hateful and evil and maybe I was. But I would make these people see that I wasn't going to become what they wanted me to be!

XoXo

**So there you go. Another chapter in the life of Acacia. R&R. Tell your friends, tell them to tell your friends and don't forget to READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Anyway, I liked the song because it really gave me inspiration for her next chapter. I know that it takes me forever to update, but I'll try for at least once a week from no on, okay? **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You know I love you! Don't forget to REVIEW! I'll love you when you do and come after you if you don't! Just kidding. I don't even know who are, probably.**

**-Ed**


	4. If No One Will Listen

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Everything except for my ideas and my character belong to J.K. Rowling and I proudly give that to her!**

**So, I came up with this idea while I was watching Meet The Robinsons (I know, how lame?). I hope you like it. Yes it is AU but I love it all the same!**

XoXo

I looked up with my face stained with dried tears. I could hear people shuffling around in their compartments, but otherwise it was quiet. James' head was peeked out from the compartment they were sharing. He looked worried, something I had only seen on Mistress Caroline's face. I didn't know what to do until he came and sat down next to me. He pushed me with his shoulder and looked at me with that sweet face of his. "What's up?" he asked, smiling.

"Nothing," I replied sulkily.

"Really? You left the compartment pretty quickly and you're sitting out here with tear tracks written on your face. I know when a girl is upset; I've seen it plenty of times before." I laughed at that. He smiled even wider and gave me a hopeful look. "So are you gonna tell me what's wrong or not?"

"Not now," I smiled, ducking my head when his face darkened. He was upset, I hated when people were upset with me unless they deserved it. James Potter was one person that definitely did not deserve it.

"Why not? Does the mysterious Acacia Lestrange have another secret behind her life?" he smiled. I looked back at him and bit my lip, wanting to tell him the secrets that haunted me, but I knew that I couldn't if I wanted to stay friends with him. "I'll take that as a yes. You know what? I'm fine if you don't want to tell me what's wrong, but if you're gonna pretend that everything's okay, I can't be friends with you!"

"Why not?" I screeched at him. He made no sense!

"Because you're lying! All my life I've been surrounded by people who have lied, whether it was for a good purpose or not, they lied and I can't trust them anymore. I'm sick of the liars and I thought you were different, but I guess not!"

"You think you've lived with liars?!" I yelled. "You don't know the half of it! Try living without knowing who your parents are! Try wondering why you weren't good enough for them to keep! Wondering what you did wrong when you were an infant! Try that on for size and then you come and talk to me, James!" He looked at me with hardness in his eyes that I had only known on my own face.

"Fine. But let me know when you're ready to talk and then we can be friends again!"

I could see him shaking his head as I watched his retreating figure. I started to cry again and someone pulled me into their compartment, violently. I looked up and saw a girl standing over me with dark emerald eyes and curly, auburn hair. She had a smirk on her mouth and I could barely suppress my laughter at the sight of her. "I'm Aspen Green. Why are you crying?"

"What are some reasons that you would be crying?!"

"Well, someone could be acting like a complete ass to me, someone could be hurting me, and someone could have lied to me. Are any of these making you cry?" she asked me sweetly. I shook my head, was it stupid, the reason I was crying?

"Let's just say that I have secrets and no one will understand me."

"Why not? Are you a mystery?"

"All right. I have _never_ liked it when people ask me stupid and rapid fire questions, like you just did. And why do you think you know me well enough to ask me these stupid questions?!"

"I never said that I knew you enough to ask you stupid questions…. Who are you?" I was taken back by the way she asked me this.

"Acacia Grace Lestrange." I smiled when her eyes widened in fear and surprise. "Yeah. I know. I'm Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter. Be afraid, be very afraid."

She laughed at this and I was kind of surprised. This was at least one person that wasn't afraid of me. Albeit, she was a little annoying, but so was everyone else. I looked behind me and saw that James was there with a little smile on his face. I looked at Aspen and smiled at her. She nodded and I slipped out of the door. I bumped straight into him and he caught me as I fell back.

"Watch out klutz," he laughed. I was surprisingly glad to see that he was in a good mood again.

"Sorry," I apologized. He looked at me with confusion written on his features.

"For what?" he asked. I was surprised that he had seemingly forgotten all about our mini fight.

"For yelling at you." I gave him a quick hug. For the small amount of time that we had known each other, we had become fast friends. "For saying that you wouldn't understand. It's just that you learn not to trust anyone when you grow up knowing no one wants you."

He smiled. "The truth is that I've never really been good with words. I've never been good with trying to tell people that I need them, that I want them to see how much I need them to hear that I need them to say that I'm doing something wrong. Maybe that's something I inherited from my mother, or maybe that's something I've grown on my own. But I know that that's what I need."

He nodded with that smile still stuck on his face. He suddenly laughed something I would never really understand. "That was deep," he gasped. I smiled back at him and I could feel my eyes melting from they're usual cold hardness. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk like that."

"Like what?"

"Like they need to convince the person that they're talking to that they're completely justified in what they've done. I admire that about you. And, I have to apologize for yelling at you. Your life is rubbish so far already; you don't need anything else from someone you just met." I smiled at this. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me, which isn't much but still.

"Thanks. That has got to be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Which isn't to say much, but you know what I mean." I watched him as he laughed. He was cute, I could give him that, but he wasn't really my type. I liked the dark mysterious guys, not the happy, loud guys.

"I know what you mean. How about we go back to the compartment and get changed. We're almost there, plus I want you to meet Victoire and Teddy." I nodded and followed him back to the compartment where Fred was waiting patiently.

"Glad to see you two could make it. Are you both okay now? Did you hug and kiss?" he asked teasingly.

"No!" we both replied too quickly. "No," I replied slower. Fred narrowed his eyes at the both of us, but then turned to James, completely blowing me off.

"So. This dork came into this compartment and guess what I did!" he said excitedly. James shook his head distractedly and then looked out of the window, sitting down. "I used one of dad's puking pastilles!"

"Really?!" James asked, finally perking up. Fred nodded with a giant grin plastered onto his face. "Did it work?!"

"Yeah. I cleaned it all up though," Fred said with a cheeky smile. James and I laughed at the look on his face. James turned to me and saw that I had a notebook in hand.

"What's that?" he asked me.

"Nothing," I replied.

"Come on."

"Fine!" I sighed. I looked down at the notebook and started to sing the words that I had written down.

"_Maybe no one told you, there is strength in your tears, and so you try to keep from pouring out. But what if you unlock the gate that keeps your secrets all, do you think that there's enough that you might drown."_

I was interrupted by a deep voice coming down the train compartments, "We are arriving at Hogwarts. Please gather all of your things, change and wait until we stop."

I could feel the train slowly stop. I quickly threw on the robes that I had pulled out of my trunk and shoved everything else back into my trunk. "Can't we just get there?" I asked Fred and James, a blush creeping up my neck as I saw the astonished looks on their faces.

"Yeah," Fred said, nodding his head but not getting that look off of his face. James just nodded and didn't say anything. I just looked at them with my eyebrows raised.

The train finally stopped and I picked up all my things. Maybe James and I hadn't reconciled our relationship. I looked down at my hands and realized that they were trembling. _I _was trembling. What the hell was the matter with me? I never shook, ever. But then again, I almost never cried. And I just cried in front of almost everyone not a full hour ago. I was slowly falling apart; no one had ever told me that tears were something that was not acceptable. They showed that I was weak, that I was afraid of something that would never happen. That I was afraid of the future. That I was afraid of the present.

"Are you coming, Snips?" James called with a smile on his face. I smiled quietly to myself and followed Fred and James.

We stepped out of the train and could see the large castle looming over us. It was beautiful. Gray with large turrets and beautiful trees overlaying the entire thing. It was beautiful, as if I had to say it again. The lake looked as though it was black glass, with a few ripples when the wind blew its cold gale against us. We all huddled as we saw a looming figure overhead. It was about as twice as high as a man and twice as wide. He ushered us to a row of boats and said only four per boat. James, Fred, Aspen and I all climbed into one.

"Here we are!" James whispered into my ear, his warm breath tickling my ear.

XoXo

I looked around me and saw that there were four tables. One for each of the houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. James and Fred and Aspen all wanted to be in Gryffindor, while I found Slytherin to be more fascinating. Not that I would admit it.

Professor McGonagall, the teacher that had come to visit me when I was still at the orphanage, crowded us into a line and pulled out a long list. A random boy came up and put a stool and hat down. The hat opened a rip in its brim and began singing. After the song was done, McGonagall pulled out a long list and began reading off the names.

"Abercrombie, Liam."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Austen, Emma."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Clarens, Lucy."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Demoines, Noah."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"DeClare, Evan."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Emparentes, Lily."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Evans, Jacob."

"RAVENCLAW!"

It continued on with this, with the rest of us twitching and waiting for something to happen to the rest of us. James was bouncing his leg up and down, Fred was rubbing his hands together and I was waiting for something to happen. Suddenly I heard my name being called.

"Lestrange, Acacia!"

I could hear so many whispers behind me and I could feel hot tears filling my eyes and a blush creeping its way up my cheeks.

"_Lestrange? As in Bellatrix Lestrange?"_

"_Could that be her daughter?"_

"_Why isn't she dead yet?"_

I still stepped up to the stool with my eyes fixed on the prize and my chin raised. I was humming the last words to my song in my head.

"_If no one will listen_

_If you decide to speak_

_If no one's left standing after the bombs explode_

_If no one wants to look at you_

_For what you really are_

_I will be here still_

_No one can tell you where you alone must go_

_There's no telling what you will find there_

_And, God, I know the fear that eats away at your bones_

_Screaming every step, "Just stay here"_

_If no one will listen_

_If you decide to speak_

_If no one's left standing after the bombs explode_

_If no one wants to look at you_

_For what you really are_

_I will be here still_

_If you find your fists are raw and red from beating yourself down_

_If your legs have given out under the weight_

_If you find you've been settling for a world of gray_

_So you wouldn't have to face down your own hate_

_If no one will listen_

_If you decide to speak_

_If no one's left standing after the bombs explode_

_If no one wants to look at you_

_For what you really are_

_I will be here still_

_If no one will listen_

_If you decide to speak_

_If no one's left standing after the bombs explode_

_If no one wants to look at you_

_For what you really are_

_I will be here still_

_I will be here still."_

I pulled the hat onto my head and could hear the voice in my head.

"Where to put you. Where to put you. Your mother and father were both in Slytherin, but something tells me that you wouldn't do well in there. Some of your family was in Gryffindor, which would make a little more sense. You are brave and fearless, but you would do anything to get what you want. I believe that you would do best in GRYFFINDOR!" it said loudly.

I was so excited that I finally got into a house that no one would have expected, I was proving the people wrong already. They would never have expected that. I was excited for one thing and one thing only, I would be with my friends, I would be showing people wrong and I would be learning more about my past. Everything was coming together like it should.

XoXo

**So there you go. Another chapter in the life of Acacia. R&R. Tell your friends, tell them to tell your friends and don't forget to READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Anyway, I liked the song because it really gave me inspiration for her next chapter. I know that it takes me forever to update, but I'll try for at least once a week from no on, okay? **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You know I love you! Don't forget to REVIEW! I'll love you when you do and come after you if you don't! Just kidding. I don't even know who are, probably.**

**-Ed**


	5. Shadow Of The Day

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Everything except for my ideas and my character belong to J.K. Rowling and I proudly give that to her!**

**So, I came up with this idea while I was watching Meet The Robinsons (I know, how lame?). I hope you like it. Yes it is AU but I love it all the same!**

XoXo

As I made my way to the Gryffindor table, I gave myself a small smile. Everyone was whispering and glancing at me. Some with vicious looks. I kept my head held high and refused to look away from the table. They would never see any weakness in me. I sat down next to Aspen and she gave me a small smile. "Good job," she whispered.

"Thanks," I answered, smiling a little bit wider. This was where I truly wanted to be! I think. In everything that I do, there is that little shadow of doubt in the back of my mind and this was no exception. Would I really be able to survive with people that were so different from me? I mean, there was James of course, and Aspen. But was there anyone else? I couldn't tell from the dirty looks everyone kept throwing at me.

"Are you gonna be happy here?" a seventh-year boy asked me.

"What?" I asked.

"Wouldn't you be happier with your other Slytherin friends?" he asked rudely.

"No I wouldn't," I said coolly, returning to my hard shell. "You must be thinking about my mother. Not me!"

The boy shrank back when I said this. There was no surprise that jumped over his features though. Maybe he just automatically assumed that I was mean and maybe I was, but that didn't give him any right to just _assume _so! There was a round of applause that came from the Gryffindor table, along with shouts of, "We got Harry Potter's son!" I could see James coming up behind me and take his seat next to me, but I didn't acknowledge him.

"We're both in Gryffindor!" he yelled loudly. He had a wide grin plastered onto his lips, but the smile disappeared when he saw the look on my face. "What's wrong?" he asked sweetly.

"Nothing," I said sulkily. James nodded and turned away. He was watching the sorting intently, as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. But I could see a silver tear making its way down his cheeks. I touched his shoulder. "What?" I asked in what I hoped was a concerned tone.

James turned to me with a look of pure anger on his face. I jumped back in fear. He didn't turn away, smile or laugh. He just continued to look at me, his eyes glistening with tears and his cheeks wet from previous tears that hadn't dried yet.

"I don't expect you to tell me everything," he finally said in a harsh, low voice, "but at least don't lie to me. I know when something's wrong. So don't you dare tell me nothing!"

I nodded slowly at this. He seemed generally angry with me. What I couldn't understand was why this complete stranger thought that he had complete jurisdiction over what I could and couldn't say to him! He literally had no idea what I'd been through for the past eleven years! He didn't and couldn't understand how much I needed this respite from the orphanage. How much I needed to know people that actually cared about me and could tell me what I was doing wrong and what I was doing right.

I saw Fred sit down on the other side of me and watched as his warm brown eyes looked at me, then James and back again. "Something wrong?" he asked stupidly.

I rolled my eye along with James and stared at Fred. "Are you completely mental, Fred?!" James whispered fiercely. Fred's eyes widened and he looked at me with fear etched plainly onto his features. He obviously was never snapped at like this by James before.

"Welcome to the club," I muttered under my breath. James turned to me with a malicious grin on his face. "What is that look for?" I wanted to know if he still hated me, hence the question.

"I don't hate you. It's like I've said before, I hate being lied to." It was this last statement that really bugged me. Why was he acting like my big brother, or my father? He had absolutely no relation to me and we just met a few hours ago. "I'm sure you hate being lied to also. Don't you?"

He said this in such a sickly sweet way that I had to contain myself from puking. The very least I could manage was a small not. He gave himself a small smile. "But before this conversation is over," I finally interjected," don't you ever talk to me like I'm younger than you, like you're my older brother, or that you're my father. You're not so don't pretend to be!"

Aspen let out a shriek of laughter and the three of us stared at her. "What? That was funny!" she said randomly. The three of us stared at each other and then back at her. Obviously she didn't understand that people don't usually burst into laughter when two people are fighting. Fred was the first one to laugh, then James and then me.

"Why are we laughing?" Fred hiccupped. That only made us laugh harder. We suddenly realized that no one else was talking and McGonagall was looking at us sternly over her spectacles. The Slytherins were giving us smirks, the Ravenclaws were glaring at us and the Hufflepuffs were grinning widely at us.

"Maybe we should shut up," I said with a large smile plastered onto my face. Everyone agreed and slowly looked up at McGonagall with sober faces.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," she looked at us again. "First years should remember not to go into the Forbidden Forest. Mr. Filch has a list of restricted objects in his office if you would like to spend your free time checking that. But, without any further adieu, please have your meal and enjoy!"

Aspen, Fred, James and I all looked at each other and then at our plates of food. We didn't laugh for fear of being stared at again. We piled our plates with the delicious looking food. There were dinner things and dessert things and something called pumpkin juice. As soon as I lifted my fork, I felt something pelt the back of my head. I looked around and saw a group of Slytherins snickering behind their hands. James and Fred had livid expressions on their faces and Aspen wasn't paying any attention.

"Don't worry about it," I said quickly.

"Don't worry about it?! Acacia, if people are gonna throw things at you, I am gonna worry about it!" James said loudly. I could feel the eyes of Slytherins following our movements. I didn't want to draw anymore attention to our group. Fred was slowly turning redder and James was clenching his fists.

"James. Fred. It's not a big deal. Just stop." Aspen finally looked at us and then at the floor.

"What's this?" she asked with a frown.

"Nothing," I muttered. "James, Fred. Think about it. I'm Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter. You explained to me what she's done in the pat and they're parents probably told them horror stories about her. It's only natural."

Fred nodded and went back to shoveling food into his mouth. Aspen had stopped paying attention to us. We had quickly become used o the weird behavior of hers. James was the only one that kept looking at me. "I don't get it," he said, shaking his head slowly.

"What don't you get?" I asked nonchalantly around a mouthful of treacle tart.

"That you don't care about people throwing things at you."

"I care. But I figure that anger was probably one of the things that made my mum do all those things. Plus, anger is just another sign of weakness. I already promised myself that I wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of me fiving into them."

James nodded at this and I took that to mean he would shut up. He soon opened his mouth though. "But—"

I rolled my eyes and looked at him. "But what? What more could you possibly say to me that you haven't said already?!"

"I guess nothing!" I nodded at him, gave a sarcastic smile and went back to my dessert.

"Can you read this for me? And tell me what you think of it?" Fred asked, pushing a piece of parchment towards me. I nodded and then read what it said.

"_I close both locks below the window  
I close both blinds and turn away_

Sometimes solutions aren't so simple  
Sometimes good bye's the only way

And the sun will set for you  
The sun will set for you

And the shadow of the day  
Will embrace the world in grey

And the sun will set for you

In cards and flowers on your window  
Your friends all plead for you to stay

Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple  
Sometimes good bye's the only way

And the sun will set for you  
The sun will set for you

And the shadow of the day  
Will embrace the world in grey

And the sun will set for you

And the shadow of the day  
Will embrace the world in grey

And the sun will set for you

And the shadow of the day  
Will embrace the world in grey

And the sun will set for you"

XoXo

**So there you go. Another chapter in the life of Acacia. R&R. Tell your friends, tell them to tell your friends and don't forget to READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Anyway, I liked the song because it really gave me inspiration for her next chapter. I know that it takes me forever to update, but I'll try for at least once a week from no on, okay? **

**This one was probably the easiest to write and I actually love it, because it shows how strongwilled she is! Anyway, as with every chapter. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Thanks to IAmCharlie and babiixilyx3 and hyperactive lioness and Lissa Wonderland for reviewing so faithfully! I love all of you! (In a non-gay way!)-Ed**


	6. Baby's A Red

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Everything except for my ideas and my character belong to J.K. Rowling and I proudly give that to her!**

**So, I came up with this idea while I was watching Meet The Robinsons (I know, how lame?). I hope you like it. Yes it is AU but I love it all the same!**

XoXo

I looked up at Fred with a smile gracing my features. It wasn't rare to see a smile, but rare to see a smile this big upon my lips. He looked at me with expectant eyes so I decided to prolong the judgment by holding up a finger to my lips. I pursed my lips and then looked at James, who I knew was looking over my shoulder and then at Aspen who was looking at Fred. "It was . . . pretty good. Phrasing could have been a little better." I watched as his face went from bright and cheery to downcast and cloudy. "I'm just kidding. I really have no idea what I'm talking about," I laughed. "It was really good. I mean it."

"Good. I thought you were being serious for a second there," he sighed. James laughed and then looked at me.

"I guess it's just another trait right?" he laughed. I rolled my eyes, but nodded.

"Yes," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "I have absolute control over when to be serious and when not to be. Can't you tell?"

"No, I couldn't. Please try not to make it so obvious next time," James replied. We collapsed in another bout of laughter.

This all seemed so perfect. Almost too perfect. There was the four of us, the two girls and the two guys. Would my mother be proud of me for making friends with Gryffindors? Did I care? One of the older Gryffindors came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and smiled at her. "Yes?" I asked politely.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure your mother would have appreciated you laughing? Because it seems very uncharacteristic of her," she said harshly. I gasped and James looked over. Anger flashed in his bright eyes.

"Considering I didn't know her, I can't really say. But I'm sure she laughed at least once in her lifetime," I said slowly.

"Yes, well, I highly doubt it. From the stories I've heard at least," she replied snidely.

"Well then the stories you've heard are wrong!" James snapped. I looked at him with anger etched into my face. He shrugged, but continued to look at the girl.

"I don't think so," she said snidely. "My mother experienced first-hand the horrors of your mother."

"Who's your mother?" I asked impolitely. Her eyes widened but I continued to look at her. If there was any truth in her statement, she could answer the question.

"I don't feel inclined to answer your question," she said slowly, choosing her words. Her grey eyes were skating over the four of us. Aspen finally looked at the girl, her overlarge blue eyes probing her.

"Why do you care?" she asked in that weird way of hers. "She's not her mother. She's never known her mother. And I have a pretty good feeling that she will not end up like her mother."

I nodded and flashed a smile at Aspen. She just continued to look at the older girl with unyielding eyes. "This is not the last you have heard from me!" she spat.

The four of us nodded, but didn't pay anymore attention to her. We looked up when McGonagall stood. She gazed at all of us over her spectacles. "Now that you've all been fed, I would like to send you off with one last word. Goodnight. Sleep and wake up tomorrow morning with a sense of eagerness to learn."

With that, we all stood up from our tables and made our way to the houses we were sorted into. We followed a head boy and a head girl to where we were staying. We walked up staircases that we moving, past pictures that walked and talked, past ghosts that acted as though they were still living. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the portrait of the Fat Lady. She was covered in pink silk and had a very regal manner about her. The head boy stepped up to her and said the password, "_Licorice wand." _She swing open and let us pile in.

"Hey! Acacia! I have two people that I want you to meet!" James called from the fireplace.

He was sitting with a boy and a girl. The boy had a handsome, heart-shaped face, bright pink hair and soft brown eyes. The girl had an incredibly beautiful face, a waterfall of white-blonde hair rippling down her back and warm blue eyes. They both looked happy until the boy saw my face. His eyes burned with anger, his hair turned a fiery red and his body went rigid. The girl's eyes widened as she looked at James and then at me.

"Teddy, Victoire. This is Acacia Lestrange," James said proudly. I looked back at Aspen and Fred, who shrugged and sat down on different chairs. "Acacia. This is Teddy Lupin and my cousin, Victoire Weasley."

I looked from James to Victoire and then back. I had to keep from bursting out in laughter. It was hard to believe that the gorgeous Victoire Weasley was related to the sub-par James Potter. Teddy's eyes were still narrowed in on me. I could tell that he hated me, that much was clear. And it was obvious that he had a basis for his hate, unlike the rest of them. But what was it? He answered my question within seconds of thinking it.

"_Lestrange?"_ he spat. I had always found my last name intriguing, but obviously I thought wrong. "So you're the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter. Do you know what your _mother_ did to mine?" I shook my head. "Of course not. Well, I'll tell you what she did to both my father and my mother! She blatantly murdered my father. Then looked over his body and murdered my mother! The only thing good that came out of it was the fact that your mother died too, and they died in each other's arms. Your mother was a damn good bitch and she had you with that son of a bitch that caused all this chaos!"

I could feel my eyes fill with hot, shameful tears and my cheeks grew red with heat. Victoire looked at me with sympathetic eyes and then hit Teddy. "Teddy!" she shrieked. "She's just a kid! She wasn't involved in any of that stuff! Her mum was a bad person, we understand that. Don't take it out on her! Can't you see that she's been through enough? She never did anything to you!"

Victoire stood up and wrapped her arms around me. I leaned into her and sobbed harder than I ever had before. She was comforting me. That was something I had never experienced. I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me. I looked up and saw that Teddy had softened up and was now comforting me as a way of saying sorry.

"What my mum did i-isn't my f-fault!" I protested, pushing away from the both of them. I looked at them with my eyes red and swollen. I didn't understand how he could think that it was fine that he just yelled and swore at me and now he thinks that it's fine to apologize.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just never got my feelings out before this. Sorry, again. I'm sure you're nice!" Teddy said apologetically.

I looked at him skeptically, but then looked at James who looked flabbergasted at my sudden outburst of tears. I looked up at Victoire who nodded shortly. I looked back up at Teddy and embraced him. He seemed nice enough; at least he apologized where other people would have laughed at my tears.

"Well, I'm tired," Victoire announced. Teddy nodded and went to the boy's dormitory steps. "Don't stay up too late!" She called to the four of us. "Remember that you still have schoolwork tomorrow!"

We nodded and James practically shoved Victoire up the stairs. He turned back to us and grinned widely. He sat down next to me on the sofa and gazed into my eyes with his own blue ones. He smiled and then jumped up. "I forgot something! I'll be right back!" He pulled Fred with him and Aspen and I just watched them.

"What is going on with them?" I asked Aspen with a smile plastered onto my face.

"I have no idea!" she said with a laugh, I looked at her and I started to recognize someone that I had seen walking down the hall.

"Hey!" I said loudly. Her eyes widened with surprise and I couldn't suppress my excitement. "You're Luna Lovegood's daughter!"

"Yeah! I am!" she shouted. We both collapsed into laughter and then stopped as soon as we saw James and Fred. James was carrying a radio in one hand and a roll of parchment in another. "What are we doing? Does this involve pain?"

"No!" Fred said quickly, sitting down next to Aspen. James sat next to me and turned the radio on. A song turned on that I knew.

"_Oo oo little red,  
With your heart in Stalingrad,  
Oh, it kills me how they hate you,  
But they just don't understand.  
Oh red,  
When they put me on the stand,  
I will testify I loved you,  
And I'm not ashamed to be your comrade."_

I looked at James with questioning in my eyes. "What are we doing?" I asked cautiously.

"Playing a game I like to call, Truth!" James said loudly. "Basically you ask questions about each other and you absolutely have to say the truth. If you don't then you're out and if you refuse to answer the question, you're out. You win when everyone is out and you answer a question truthfully. Understood?" The four of us nodded. "All right. I'll go first. Worst thing that's ever happened to you?"

"That's easy. When I puked in front of everyone that Thanksgiving day," Fred said quickly.

"Oh yeah. I remember that. Good answer!" James said approvingly. "Aspen?"

"When my mum told me what happened in the Battle of Hogwarts," Aspen said slowly. James nodded and then turned to me.

"Acacia?"

"Finding out that everyone hates me here," I said with defiance. James nodded and then turned to Fred.

"Your turn!" he said loudly.

"Okay . . . favorite color!" Fred asked lamely.

"Blue," James said.

"Green," I said.

"Pink," Aspen replied.

"Aspen?" James said. It was her turn to answer a question.

"Best thing that has ever happened to you!"

"When Albus was born because that meant I had someone to pick on!" James replied with a smile.

"The first time we ever pranked someone," Fred said with a smile.

"This. This whole place. You guys! Everything!" I laughed.

The game went on for a little while, with the song playing in the background. The last thing that I can remember is us laughing so hard we collapsed on the sofa.

"_Red, red, baby's a red,  
She's blood red,  
Baby's a red,  
The feds said,  
"Lock her in lead,  
She's red," but I love her._

(Hammer and sickle on my mind.)

Oo oo little red,  
It's not like McCarthy said,  
Though we differ on religion,  
We both support the working man.  
Oh red, if the bombs fall on our lands,  
Then our politics won't matter,  
Only that I loved you until death.

(Hammer and sickle...)

Red, red, baby's a red,  
She's blood red,  
Baby's a red,  
The feds said,  
"Lock her in lead,  
She's red," but I love her.

Oh, yea, baby's a red,  
She's blood red,  
Baby's a red,  
The feds said,  
"Lock her in lead,  
She's red," but I love her.

I want to touch you, and I'm not afraid,  
I want to touch you , and I'm not ashamed,  
I want to tell you, that I'm not afraid,  
They'll burn us at the stake!

I want to love you, and I'm not afraid,  
I want to love you, and I'm not ashamed,  
I want to love you, and I'm not afraid, oh baby.

Hammer and sickle on my mind.  
Saint Petersburg in summer time.  
Hammer and sickle on my mind.  
Stars over Moscow shining bright.  
Hammer and sickle on my mind.  
The shores of Astrakhan are fine.  
Hammer and sickle on my mind.

Red, red, baby's a red,  
She's blood red,  
Baby's a red,  
The feds said,  
"Lock her in lead,  
She's red," but I love her."

XoXo

**So there you go. Another chapter in the life of Acacia. R&R. Tell your friends, tell them to tell your friends and don't forget to READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Anyway, I liked the song because it really gave me inspiration for her next chapter. I know that it takes me forever to update, but I'll try for at least once a week from no on, okay? **

**This one was probably my personal favorite because I loved writing the different emotions. I'm watching Aladdin…why, I have no idea! Anyway. REVIEW!!! Please! And so many Thanks to IAmCharlie and babiixilyx3 and hyperactive lioness and Lissa Wonderland for reviewing so faithfully! I love all of you! (In a non-gay way!)-Ed**


	7. OneX

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Everything except for my ideas and my character belong to J.K. Rowling and I proudly give that to her!**

**This is something I have to say to a reviewer: The age thing was my fault, I messed it up. I'm really sorry about that, but this story wouldn't work without her being with James and Fred. And Harry and Ginny were married and had children by this point because this is only two years before the nineteen years later segment in the last book. I tried to fix this and I hope that this fixes it as best as I can at this point. Thanks.**

XoXo

I woke up with my tongue feeling furry and a bad taste filling my mouth. I looked around and realized that we had all fallen asleep on the couches near the fireplace. Te fire wasn't crackling merrily anymore, but was a pile of warm ashes. I reached my foot out and tapped Aspen's leg. She fluttered her eyelashes and looked at me sleepily. I motioned for her to follow me and she willingly complied. We slowly made our way up the staircase and into the door labeled, "First Years." I lay down on the four poster bed that had my trunk by it and started to laugh.

"What?" Aspen asked, sitting on her own bed. She was pulling a brush through her long, dark hair. "What are you laughing at?"

"The four of us fell asleep on those couches, playing a game that James Potter showed us!" I exclaimed, my voice straining under the pressure of not laughing. Aspen blinked a few times, but then burst into laughter.

One of the other girls sat up and looked at the two of us sprawled out onto our beds and shaking with laughter. She blinked sleepily and then opened her mouth to say something. "Who are you and why are you in here?" she asked, yawning noticeably.

"I'm Aspen Green," Aspen replied slowly. "And I'm in here because I was sorted into Gryffindor."

"I'm Acacia Lestrange," I said as I watched her eyes widened. "I'm in here because I was also sorted into Gryffindor. Who are you and why are you here?"

"I-I'm Ivie Wood," she said, shaking with fear. "I-I'm here because I-I'm in G-Gryffindor t-too. N-nice to meet you." She held a shaking hand out to Aspen, but didn't look at me.

"C'mon, we need to go downstairs," I said to Aspen.

Aspen nodded and then looked at the girl. She gave Ivie a curt nod and then went to her trunk. I went to my own, pulled out a skirt, a shirt, a vest and robes emblazoned with the Gryffindor symbol. It was a simple uniform, but meant so much to me. It showed that I had already gone against the grain. Everyone expected me to be in Slytherin, but I went into Gryffindor proudly and with almost no shadow of a doubt in my mind.

I gathered my toothbrush and toothpaste and headed to the lavatories with Aspen on my tail. Once in the girl's lavatory, I turned on the water. I looked in the mirror and saw the same person that has been staring back at me for the past eleven years. I had long, dark, almost black hair, soft blue eyes, full lips and a smile that lit up my entire face.

"Is it hard for you?" Aspen asked while she put toothpaste onto her toothbrush.

"Is what hard?" I asked around the toothbrush in my mouth.

"Seeing how much everyone hates you. I almost punched that girl in the face when she started shaking just because of your names. Your really aren't that bad."

"Thanks. Glad to hear that from someone that I've known for a day."

"No problem."

I projectiled the toothpaste into the sink and then cupped my hands under the water. I lifted my hands to my mouth and filled it, but didn't drink. I started brushing my teeth again. "You like Fred don't you?" I asked abruptly.

Aspen almost dropped her toothbrush out of surprise. She turned to look at me and then spread a smile across her lips. "How did you know?"

"Because you get quiet around him. Don't get me wrong. He seems nice enough, but you've only known him for a day. Just calm down." Aspen laughed as I spit out the last of the toothpaste.

I wiped my mouth and then walked out of the lavatory and back to the girls dormitory. Ivie had fallen back asleep and it looked as though we were the only ones awake. I shoved my toothbrush and toothpaste back into my trunk and then walked over to Aspen's bed. She looked at me and smiled.

"How do you live with it?" she asked quietly as we made our way back into the common room.

"Live with what?" I asked again. She asked such confusing questions.

"With everyone hating you. I don't think that I would ever be able to survive!" I looked at her with her big blue eyes probing every inch of my face as though I was about to give something away.

"I don't know. But it helps that at least three people don't hate me." Her eyebrows hiked up and her eyes filled with questions. "You, Fred and James. And possibly Victoire. But Teddy is going to take a little getting used to."

"Yeah," she said in response. We sat down next to James and Fred and raised our hands to their ears. At the exact same moment, we both screamed "WAKE UP!"

Both boys jerked awake and blinked bleary-eyed at us. Aspen and I burst into laughter and high-fived each other. "What the bloody hell was that for?!" James shrieked.

"You took too long to wake up," Aspen whined. That brought on another round of laughter from the both us.

"Yeah. Well, maybe if we hadn't been playing that stupid game all night!" Fred muttered under his breath as he walked up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.

"Hey!" James yelled, following him up the stairs. "It wasn't that stupid! You could've quit at anytime, you loon!"

"I guess we'll wait for you here then!" I called after them. Aspen and I collapsed into laughter on the sofas. We heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

We looked up and saw Victoire, in all her blonde-haired glory, making her way down the stairs. We quickly sat up straighter and almost collapsed in another bout of laughter. She walked behind the sofa and then sat beside me. "What are you two laughing about down here?" she asked with a huge smile written on her lips.

"Nothing!" Aspen answered, her voice straining from not laughing.

"Mm-hmm," she said skeptically. "Hey, have either of you see Teddy yet?"

"No," we answered quickly. She looked at us again with that skeptical look in her blue eyes. She got up and went to the door that led out side.

"Oh! You two?" she asked, turning around.

"Yeah?" I asked, finally speaking up. I never realized how talkative Aspen was.

"When he comes down, could you tell him that I went down to the Great Hall for breakfast?"

"Yeas!" We both said quickly. Victoire nodded once and then headed out the door.

We sat back down on the couch and then waited for James and Fred to turn out.

XoXo

When Fred and James _finally_ turned up, we made our way to breakfast, not wanting to miss our schedules being handed out. We sat down next to each other and started to eat. We saw Teddy sitting down with a few of his other friends. I didn't see Victoire anywhere, so she must have already left for her first class. There was a teacher handing out schedules. He called out, "Lestrange, Acacia!" I stepped up and grabbed my schedule. I looked through it quickly. I had:

Transfiguration with Professor Noore

Herbology with Professor Longbottom

Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Stells

Potions with Professor Slughorn

History of Magic with Professor Binns

Charms with Professor Flitwick

Astronomy with Professor Lunick

And Flying Lessons with Madame Pince.

I looked up at James with a huge smile. He returned the smile with a fist pump. "Herbology couldn't be easier! Neville is the biggest softie ever! I'm gonna ace that class!" He gave Fred a high-five and then looked at Aspen. Aspen's eyes were bigger than ever as she read through the list.

"My mum told me about Professor Binns. Said that he was the only Professor here that is a ghost. But this sounds interesting so far," she said with a smile.

James nodded and put his schedule down. He started shoveling more food into his mouth. It was like he was a never ending put of nothingness. I looked at Aspen, who was watching Fred with wide eyes and a disgusted expression. "Why is everyone looking at us?" he asked stupidly.

"Because you eat like a pig!" I laughed. James laughed also and sprayed food everywhere. It hit my face and the back of Aspen's head.

Aspen screamed as she felt the gooey glob of mashed up food in her long hair. "What the bloody hell _is_ this?" she shrieked. Fred started to laugh, and God his mouth was empty, the laughter quickly caught onto the rest of the table.

"You really don't want to know," I said quietly. She turned her large eyes to me.

"We should probably go to first class," she said. I nodded.

We went up stairs and down stairs and all around the castle, but we couldn't seem to find the Transfiguration classroom. Five minutes after the class started, Aspen, James, Fred and I finally stepped into the classroom.

Professor Noore looked at us sternly and pointed us to desks that sat in the front of the room. Aspen sat next to me and James and Fred were on the other side.

"Welcome to class all of you. In this class we will be learning how to transfigure objects." As she said this she turned to her desk and Transfigured it into a pig and then back. We all ooh'd and ah'd at that, wondering when we could do that. "Now. I want you to understand that you will _not_ be doing this for awhile. What we are going to start out with is Transfiguring matchsticks into needles. Miss . . . Lestrange?"

I looked up at her. "Yes?" I asked, hearing the fear written in my voice. I knew the students hated me, and I definitely didn't need the teachers hating me.

"Would pass out the matchsticks please?" she asked sweetly.

I nodded and stood up. She pressed the matchsticks into my hand and I walked around the classroom. I could see only one other house in the room and that was Hufflepuff. They seemed very nice, not at all like the Gryffindors. Though, of course, they were probably just putting on an act so that they didn't get into any trouble. I was finally done and returned to Professor Noore. She gave me a smile and then pointed me back to my desk.

"Good job," James whispered mockingly from across Aspen. She stuck out her tongue at him, which caused the both of us to burst into laughter.

"If you four cannot pay attention when you are together, I will be forced to separate you. Do you understand?" Professor Noore hissed at us.

The four of us sat up straight and nodded in synch. She sniffed and turned back around. She rambled for a little while more, but then she let us try to turn the Matchstick into a needle.

XoXo

After that class we all headed to the grounds for Herbology with Professor Longbottom. We had to run outside with our bags covering our heads because it was positively down pouring. When we made it into Greenhouse four, Professor Longbottom was smiling at us from behind a few plants. "Welcome class! Please sit down at a table!" he greeted warmly.

I sat down next to Aspen while James and Fred sat across from me. A Gryffindor girl was sitting behind me and she kept jumping up and down from her chair. Professor Longbottom pulled out a piece of parchment and started reading through the names.

"Abercrombie, Astoria?"

"Here!"

"Aller, Dominic?"

"Here!"

"Borg, Evan?"

"Here!"

"Citcher, Cassidy?"

"Here!"

"Devons, Bracken?"

"Here!"

"Evans, Natalie?"

"Here!"

"Fortune, Mason?"

"Here!"

"Green, Aspen?"

"Here!"

It seemed to go on and on until he finally reached Lestrange. "L-Lestrange, Acacia?" he aksed, shaking a little bit, but regaining his composure. There was a chorus if boo's emanating from the other people in the classroom. I felt a blush creep up my neck when Professor Longbottom searched the kids for someone that looked like Bellatrix. "Class! Class!" he tried to shout. "Quiet!"

Not one person said anything after that. Professor Longbottom was red in the face and he looked angry. "Now," he said firmly. "I don't even want to hear that again! Acacia? Are you here?"

"Yes, sir!" I whispered. He looked at me and smiled.

The rest of the class period, I kept my head down. I could hear whispers about me and Aspen and James were chatting happily. Finally that class was over! I gathered my things and started to head out of the greenhouse.

"Miss Lestrange?" Professor Longbottom asked. I turned to him, my eyes wide with fear.

"Yes?" I asked quietly.

"Could you stay so I can talk to you?" I nodded and stood over by his desk. "I must apologize profusely for what happened today. I must ask, does that happen often?"

"Yeah. But my mum was apparently a horrible person."

"That gives them no right to treat you like that!"

"But . . . if my mum was horrible to their parents, why shouldn't the treat me like this?"

"Because they didn't know your mother. Your mother actually did something to me."

"That seems like the story of everyone's life now. They don't understand that my mother isn't me and I'm not my mother!"

"I know that. You're mother was a terrible person. She tortured my parents into insanity for information. I have a reason to hate your mother, but I still don't hate you!"

"Thank you for that."

"I have learned to live by the motto 'befriend your enemies.' As you can see, it has made my life much easier. I could hardly hate anyone."

"But . . . she tortured your parents into insanity. You have more reason than anyone to hate me."

"But I don't. I'm afraid that I must send you along now. Would you like to meet with me in my office after school is over when we can?" I nodded slowly, smiling slightly. Professor Longbottom smiled at me. He waved me away with a parting wave.

I could hear a song in my head playing. It didn't work for this moment, but somehow I had it in my head.

"_Do you think about  
Everything you've been through  
You never thought you'd be so depressed  
Are you wondering  
Is it life or death  
Do you think that there's no one like you_

We are  
We are  
We are  
We are the ones  
We get knocked down  
We get back up and stand above the crowd  
We are one  
We are the ones  
We get knocked down  
We get back up and stand above the crowd  
We are one

The life I think about  
Is so much better than this  
I never thought I'd be stuck in this mess  
I'm sick of wondering  
Is it life or death  
I need to figure out who's behind you

We are  
We are  
We are  
We are the ones  
We get knocked down  
We get back up and stand above the crowd  
We are one  
We are the ones  
We get knocked down  
We get back up and stand above the crowd  
We are one

The life I think about  
Is so much better than this  
I never thought I'd be stuck in this mess  
I'm sick of wondering  
Is it life or death?

We are the ones  
We get knocked down  
We get back up and stand above the crowd  
We are one  
We are the ones  
We get knocked down  
We get back up and stand above the crowd  
We are one

We stand above the crowd  
We stand above the crowd  
We stand above the crowd (Crowd)  
(We stand) We stand above the crowd  
We stand above the crowd (We Stand)  
We stand above the crowd

(We are the ones) We stand above the crowd  
(We get knocked down get back up) We stand above the crowd  
(We are the ones) We stand above the crowd  
(We get knocked down get back up) We stand above the crowd

We stand above the crowd  
We stand above the crowd  
We stand above the crowd."

XoXo

**So there you go. Another chapter in the life of Acacia. R&R. Tell your friends, tell them to tell your friends and don't forget to READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Anyway, I liked the song because it really gave me inspiration for her next chapter. I know that it takes me forever to update, but I'll try for at least once a week from no on, okay? **

**This one was probably my personal favorite because I loved writing the different emotions. I'm watching Aladdin…why, I have no idea! Anyway. REVIEW!!! Please! And so many Thanks to IAmCharlie and babiixilyx3 and hyperactive lioness and Lissa Wonderland for reviewing so faithfully! I love all of you! (In a non-gay way!)-Ed**


	8. If You Could Only See

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my character, Raine, Aspen, and Chloe. The rest is all J.K. Rowlings!**

**This chapter is dedicated to Hyperactive Lioness (my cousin), IAmCharlie(my bestie!) and well, Alyssa because I introduce them!!!! Hope you like them!**

XoXo

About a week later, I just got back from another meeting with Professor Longbottom and was meeting up with Aspen before dinner. She was talking to two Gryffindor girls that I had never seen before. "Hey!" I said warmly. She turned around with a huge smile on her lips.

"Hey. I have two people that I want you to meet," Aspen said, gesturing to the girls. "Acacia, this is Raine Vondurri and Chloe Carson."

I smiled at them and waved. "Raine, Chloe. This is Acacia Lestrange."

"Chloe's eyes widened and Raine took a step back. "Hi," I said gruffly. Why did everyone hate me? I think they should all take a note out of Professor Longbottom's book. Befriend an enemy! "I hope that step was because you need to go somewhere and not because of my last name."

"Why would it be because of your last name?" Raine said defensively.

"Oh, I have no idea! The same reason everyone else boo's at me because of my last name!" I hissed.

"Maybe if you weren't related to the notorious Bellatrix Lestrange!"

"And you think that I can help that?"

"No, but at least don't go around flaunting it!"

"I don't!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes! Really!" I turned on my heel and stomped into the Great Hall. I saw Fred and James whispering to each other. I walked over and sat between them. James looked at me and smiled.

"What's up?" he asked sweetly. "What did Neville want?"

"Nothing," I replied, trying to take the anger out of my voice. "What's for dinner?"

"Steak-and-kidney pie," Fred answered.

"Awesome," I muttered.

I glared at Raine as she walked in. She kept her head held high and sat down across from me.

So, I have to apologize for lashing out at you. You obviously have a lot of people that hate you just because of your name. You really don't need another one. I'm willing to put that all behind us and learn about you and not your mother. All right?"

Her hand was extended and her face was sincere. I looked at Aspen, who had her eyebrows raised.

"Did Aspen put you up to this?" I asked with a hint of a smile.

"Um, no. But so what if she did? At least I carried it through!"

"Good point. Fine, I accept." I took her hand and shook.

Chole had a smile on her won mouth and Aspen was talking to Fred. James tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to him with a broad smile.

"Who the heck is that?" he asked simply.

"That would be Raine Vondurri."

"_That's_ a Vondurri?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with the Vondurri's?"

"They were up there with your mum! There were in Voldemort's inner circle!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I wonder how a person with a past like that got into Gryffindor. Where 'the bold and the brave of heart ring true!'"

"I don't know. Probably how I got into Gryffindor. If her parents were in the inner circle, imagine where my mum was." James nodded and went back to eating. "But why do people hate me and not her?"

"Probably because she doesn't look like her mother. On the other hand, you look _exactly_ like your mum. You know?"

"Sure. But does that mean I get automatically hated? I haven't done one thing wrong and here people start hating me!"

"Well, it isn't like you were Volde—Wait a minute! Come with me!" James exclaimed excitedly. He pulled me out of my seat and we raced to the library.

"Why are we in the library?" I asked him, breathless because we had run the whole way.

"We need to do some research!" he said as he ran down the aisles.

"Research about what?!"

"You'll see!"

We were talking so loud that Madame Pince came from behind a bookshelf ad hissed at us.

"This is a library, not a playground you hooligans!" she hissed.

James poked his head out from behind a bookshelf and made a face. I quickly burst into laughter, which was a huge mistake. "_What_ are you _laughing_ at Miss Lestrange?!" Madame Pince shrieked.

"Nothing, Madame Pince," I muttered.

"That's what I thought! Now, if I here one more peep out of either of you, I will personally show you out the door. Do you understand?" she growled.

James and I nodded slowly. She turned on her heel and stalked to her desk. We looked at each other and burst into silent laughter. Madame Pince shot us a death glare and James ducked behind another shelf. He started scanning through the books and I followed. With every book that he found important, he used _Wingardium Leviosa_ to levitate them while he looked for me.

"All right," he said abruptly. "I think I have all that we need."

"All that we need for what?" I asked, wanting to know what his plan was.

"Again, you'll see." I rolled my eyes and walked to a table with him.

"If you don't tell me I'm going to leave," I threatened. His eyes widened, but he let out a laugh.

"Yeah, right!"

"I'm not kidding! I will leave unless you tell me what's going on."

"Fine. You know who I said that at least you weren't Voldemort's daughter?" I nodded slowly. "Well, what if you were? These are all the birth records of the past 17 years. Both wizard and muggle."

I could feel my eyes growing larger, but I couldn't help but feel elated at this prospect. Being the daughter of the most feared person in the world, imagine the power that I would gain from that! "But what if I am?" I asked quietly.

"Don't worry; I have faith that you won't be!"

"James? Acacia? Are you up here?" I heard Chloe ask. "There you two are, we've been looking for you for hours!"

"We haven't even been up here for hours," I said irritably.

"Well, it feels like hours. Are you guys coming downstairs?"

"Eventually. We're finishing up some homework," James snapped.

"Oh, okay. Just hurry up, all right. We're getting worried."

"Fine. Leave," we both replied at the same time.

We went back to looking through the birth records. James gasped and dropped his book on the table. "What?" I asked, concerned. "Did you find it? Am I?"

He nodded solemnly. "You are officially Acacia Riddle. I'm so sorry."

I felt my jaw drop and picked up the book. I read what was written in the record.

"_On June 14, 2024 Mrs. Bellatrix Lestrange and Mr. Tom Riddle, more widely known as Lord Voldemort had a daughter named Acacia Grace Lestrange-Riddle. She has bright blue eyes, black curly hair and looks like her mother. This is the only known record of her."_

"You know what this means don't you?" I whispered.

"Yeah. It means that you are Voldemort's daughter. And if we could figure this out, what's stopping the other students to?"

We sat in complete silence until the most inappropriate song came on the radio that James had hidden in his bag.

"_If you could only see the way she loves me  
Then maybe you would understand  
Why I feel this way about our love  
And what I must do  
If you could only see how blue her eyes can be when she says  
When she says she loves me_

Well you got your reasons  
And you got your lies  
And you got your manipulations  
They cut me down to size

Sayin you love but you dont  
You give your love but you wont

If you could only see the way she loves me  
Then maybe you would understand  
Why I feel this way about our love  
And what I must do  
If you could only see how blue her eyes can be when she says  
When she says she loves me

Seems the road less traveled  
Shows happiness unraveled  
And you got to take a little dirt  
To keep what you love  
Thats what you gotta do

Sayin you love but you dont  
You give your love but you wont  
Youre stretching out your arms to something thats just not there  
Sayin you love where you stand  
Give your heart when you can

If you could only see the way she loves me  
Then maybe you would understand  
Why I feel this way about our love  
And what I must do  
If you could only see how blue her eyes can be when she says  
When she says she loves me

Sayin you love but you dont  
You give your love but you wont  
Sayin you love where you stand  
Give your heart when you can

If you could only see the way she loves me  
Then maybe you would understand  
Why I feel this way about our love  
And what I must do  
If you could only see how blue her eyes can be when she says  
When she says she loves me."

I looked at James in a panic. As soon as people figured this out, all of the respect that I had gathered would be down the drain. He pulled into a hug and could feel the tears running down my face. He was whispering words of comfort into my ear. When I stopped, I could feel that my eyes were red and puffy. He smiled shortly and then pulled me up. "Come on. The longer we keep this quiet, the longer it takes for people to realize that you're his daughter. We should probably go back," he said soothingly.

I nodded. I could barely speak I was so traumatized. How could things go back to normal now? I was the daughter of someone that was still feared to this day. Imagine what I could do! Imagine was people would do! Imagine my life after this!

XoXo

**So there you go. Another chapter in the life of Acacia. R&R. Tell your friends, tell them to tell your friends and don't forget to READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Anyway, I liked the song because it really gave me inspiration for her next chapter. I know that it takes me forever to update, but I'll try for at least once a week from now on, okay? **


	9. Awake

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my character, Raine, Aspen, and Chloe. The rest is all J.K. Rowlings!**

XoXo

As we walked down the halls to get back into the Gryffindor common room, tears were still burning their way down my cheeks and it was all I could do to keep from sobbing. _"Licorice Wands,"_ James said softly. The Fat lady gave us an incredulous look and opened her mouth to speak.

"What's wrong with her?" she asked harshly.

"Nothing. Are you going to let us in or not?" James snapped.

"You're exactly like your father, you are," she said grumpily. She swung open anyway and we walked in. Aspen, Fred, Chloe and Raine were all sitting around the fire.

"Hey," Aspen said warmly. I sat down on a chair and pulled my knees up to my chest. "What's the matter?" She walked over to where I was sitting and started rubbing my back. She turned to James with such fierceness that James jumped. "What did you _do_ to her?" Aspen shrieked.

"What? Me? I didn't do anything!" James argued.

"Yes, because that explains why she's crying!"

"That isn't my fault!"

"Then whose fault is it?"

"Aspen!" I snapped. She turned to me with sympathy written in her eyes. "It wasn't him! Just let it go, all right?"

"Fine. But don't expect me to talk to him again!" She turned away from me and stalked up the stairs.

"Well, that went well," Chloe said, rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna go talk to her. You four would be better off just sitting down here, all right?"

We all watched as Chloe trudged up the stairs. I looked at James and gave him a smile. He was too lost in thought to even look at me. Raine and Fred looked at each other and then at the both of us.

"Okay," Raine sighed. "You two are either going to us what happened or sit down here until you do."

"But . . ." I argued.

She shook her head and held up her hand. "No arguments! Just tell us or you don't leave!"

"Fine," James sighed. He looked at me with his eyes wide and ran his fingers through his hair. "When we went to the library, we found something."

"Something like what?" Fred asked earnestly.

"Something like I'm related to Voldemort!" I rushed.

Raine's eyes were wide with surprise and Fred almost fell off of the couch. Raine quickly composed herself and went to the chair I was sitting in. "You should be proud," she said quietly.

"Proud?! _What_ does she have to be _proud_ of, _Vondurri_?!" James spat.

"The Dark Lord was a great man. He may have done a few things wrong, but what does that mean? What did he do to _your_ family?" Raine hissed.

"Well, let's see. He tried to kill my father, killed my grandparents and his followers _murdered_ half the people my parents loved!"

"It's their fault for getting in the way!"

"Their fault? _Their fault_? What about Professor Longbottom's parents? They were tortured into insanity using the Crusiatus curse by Bellatrix!"

"On the Dark Lord's orders was it not?" James nodded a malicious look in his eyes. "Then she was only _following_ orders. Was there a law that stated they had to follow everything that he said?"

"Yes! The law that stated you did whatever he told you or you were _killed_!"

"Where is that written?"

"Nowhere, but what does it matter? That's what happened!"

"_Well then I'm glad my parents had enough common sense to do what he said!"_ Raine shrieked.

"Spoken like a true Death Eater," I muttered. She turned her hate filled eyes toward me, but James saved me with another statement.

"And how does that fit into their consciences? If they have any!" James growled.

Raine hmmphed and went upstairs in that haughty manner of hers. I looked at James with distaste written on my face. He shrugged and sat down with anger still etched onto his face. I took one last lingering look at the eleven-year-old and then made my way upstairs.

I could hear whispering. It was Raine and Chloe. Aspen had long since fallen asleep. It ceased as soon as I walked into the room. "I thought you should know that your boyfriend is completely wrong about the Dark Lord!" Raine said scathingly.

"He's not my boyfriend and _I _don't think he's wrong," I countered, changing into my pajamas.

"Then you are wrong also. Chloe agrees with me, don't you Chloe?"

"Don't manipulate her into your thinking! She has a free will, unlike your parents who will always be under Voldemort's rule!"

"You dare speak his name?! And what could _possibly_ make you_ believe_ that you speak that name?"

"Well, I wonder. Maybe that I'm his _daughter_?!" I snapped. I saw Raine's eyes flash with anger, but Chloe put a hand on her shoulder. Raine nodded and crawled into her bed. I followed suit and pulled the covers up to my chin. I swiftly fell asleep.

XoXo

A month late, on Halloween, everyone was excited for the feast the evening. Professor Stells was being incredibly gracious, giving us only a reading assignment instead of a whole report. Professor Flitwick assigned us to practice our _Wingardum Leviosa_ charms, although James already had that down. Professor Binns, of course, assigned us an eleven-inch report on the goblin wars. Professor Noore assigned us more practice in transfiguring a thimble to a cork. Porfessor Slughorn, surprising, assigned us a nine-inch report on the different effects between a bezoar and an antidote.

Aspen, James, Fred and I were all walking to the common room to change out of our robes for the feast. We had books piled high and were all wondering how we were going to finish all of it on time. "Thank God that it's the weekend," Aspen sighed, sinking onto her bed when Aspen and I had made it.

"I know! Who knew this school could be this torturous?" I laughed, walking over to my trunk and changing into jeans and a t-shirt.

"School? I thought this was a prison!" Aspen said mockingly. We burst into a fit of laughter, until Raine walked into the room.

I gave her a scathing glare; she didn't acknowledge me at all. I quickly finished changing and then signaled to Aspen that I was going down to the common room. She nodded shortly and then continued changing.

I made my way down the stairs and saw that James was sitting by himself, reading his notes for History of Magic. "This is unheard of!" I gasped mockingly. He looked up at smiled. "The James Potter is actually studying!"

"I know!" he laughed. "And the only reason I am is because dad sent me a letter that said if I didn't bring my grades up, I had to stay here and study over Christmas!"

"How horrible! You might have to stay here with no family while the rest of us will have to do that anyway!" I mocked again. He smiled crookedly and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up. Hey! I have an idea!" he said excitedly. "Why don't I ask Mum and Dad if you and Aspen can come over for Christmas?"

I just raised my eyebrows and watched as Fred came out of the boys dormitories. He sat down next to James and then sighed. "What's wrong your problem?" I asked uncomforting.

"Nothing," he said sadly.

"That doesn't sound like nothing," James said just as evilly.

"I know it doesn't. But this is the part where you say, 'everything will be all right Freddie!" Fred pouted.

"We all know that won't happen," James laughed. I joined in and Aspen let out a false laugh when she came downstairs.

"Why are we laughing?" she asked sweetly.

"We're laughing because Fred is acting like an idiot, as usual," I answered.

"Ah," she said. She turned to me with worry etched into her face.

"What's wrong?" I breathed into her ear.

"Come with me," she hissed back. I nodded and followed her into the girls' lavatory.

"Now will you tell me what the matter is?" I asked, feeling the worry make my voice at least a pitch higher than normal.

"They found out!" she sobbed.

"Who found what out?"

"Raine and Chloe found out that you're Voldemort's daughter!"

"I know Raine knew, but why would it matter?"

"Do you really not understand?!" I shook my head. "Raine hates you now and Chloe is best friends with Raine. They are going to _announce_ to the _entire_ school that you are Voldemort's daughter!"

This statement hit me with such force that I had to sit down. I crouched on the floor and my head was in my hands. "But . . . why would they _do _that?" I whispered.

"They _hate_ you!" Aspen said slowly. "What aren't they going to do to make your world a _living hell_?!"

"But that is the worst news they could tell the world!"

"That's why they're doing it!"

"Fine! I'll just greet that the way I greeted the school. Coldly and full of hatred.

Aspen sighed, but pushed the lavatory door open. We both walked out of it with strained smiles on our lips.

"Are you guys ready to go?" James asked his blue eyes warm.

We both nodded and walked out of the common room. I could feel my face etched with lines of worry because I was thinking so hard. James came behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"What's the matter" he asked quietly.

I shook my head and forced his hand off my shoulder. "Not now," I whispered.

"Why not now?! Why don't you trust me anymore?" he asked scathingly. I turned to face him, coming to a dead stop.

"It's not that I don't trust you, James! It's the fact that you'll fine out in a few minutes time!"

James walked past me angrily and continued down to the feast. Aspen looked at me sympathetically while Fred ran after his cousin. I guess family comes before friends. I looked at Aspen who had questions written all over her features.

"What was that all about?" she asked, coming up beside me.

"Nothing," I muttered. She gave me that look that suggested she knew every one of my thoughts.

"Don't lie to me again! You _can_ trust me, you do know that right?" I nodded begrudgingly. "So tell me what happened."

"He wanted to know why I was thinking."

"He doesn't know that you think on a daily basis?"

"Yeah. But I guess this time was different. He sounded genuinely worried anyway. But, let's stop worrying about this. We have bigger things to think about."

"Like Raine and Chloe?"

"Like Raine and Chloe."

Aspen nodded and we continued to walk in silence. We made it to the Great Hall and sat down next to James and Fred in silence. Fred looked at us with a sympathetic look, but James did nothing. He was still mad then. Professor McGonagall stood up with smile lighting up her usually stern face.

"Welcome on and all to the Halloween feast! Now, this is not like our usual feasts because you will not be leaving soon, you will not have just arrived and you, some of you, will not have left us. But first and foremost, eat and be merry!" She spread her arms wide and the golden plates were filled with food.

I had just started eating some mashed potatoes when Raine and Chloe burst into the Great Hall. I turned to them with absolute loathing. Raine's eyes were filled with fear and Chloe's lower lip was trembling. McGonagall stared at them sternly over her spectacles. Raine stepped up to her and raised a trembling hand to McGonagall's ear. McGonagall nodded.

"Everyone! I have an announcement to make!" Raine called over the loud murmuring.

A hush fell over all of us as we looked at her. "I have some to say that we have just come to find that the Dark Lord's child is in this school!" she shouted.

"Where?!" a Hufflepuff asked. Riane and Chloe shared a smile.

"She is at the Gryffindor table!"

Everyone turned to look at me. Not a single one had a stitch of surprise on their faces. "Yes! Miss Acacia Lestrange is the Dark Lord's _daughter_!" Raine's face was the definition of smug.

James looked back at me with wide eyes. I nodded, but then looked at Professor Longbottom, who was standing up. Longbottom then turned to the rest of us and spoke again.

"Miss Vondurri!" he said sharply. "If you do _not_ sit down and cease this childish behavior, I _will_ remove you!" Raine quietly sat down, with that smug look still on her face. Longbottom then turned to the rest of us and spoke again.

"Now listen to me. Listen! If you change your opinion of Miss Lestrange, because of this information, you will be sadly mistaken! For as long as I have known her, she has seemed a nice and studious girl, the polar opposite of her mother! Remember Harry Potter! People called him crazy, but he was the one that saved us all. He is the _reason_ that most of you are here! Think on that the next time you even _think_ about saying something to her!"

He sat down and McGonagall and the rest of the teachers clapped. I put my head down and felt heat rush to my face. Raine was looking at me with anger filling every one of her features.

"You put him up to that didn't you?" she hissed.

"Yes, Raine," I replied skeptically. "That's exactly what I did because I _knew_ that you were going to announce one of the biggest secrets ever?!"

"Because you're best friends with Aspen and Chloe mentioned something in passing about it!"

"Whatever, Raine. You're just upset because Voldemort liked my mother more than your parents!"

Raine hmmphed again and then looked away. I finished up my food and then waited for the rest of my group to be done.

When the feast was over, we all walked up to the common room. Aspen and Fred said that they were going to bed and then left us alone. It always seemed this way. James and I alone. We had gotten close this way, but it would still have been nice to have the other two here. I sat down next to James and smiled at him, the food feeling comfortably heavy in my stomach and my eyelids drooping slightly. He enveloped me in a hug, ensuring that it was all right now and then began singing softly.

"_With every appearance by you, blinding my eyes  
I can hardly remember the last time I felt like I do  
You're an angel disguised_

And you're lying real still  
But your heart beat is fast just like mine  
And the movie's long over  
That's three that have passed, one more's fine

Will you stay awake for me?  
I don't wanna miss anything  
I don't wanna miss anything  
I will share the air I breathe  
I'll give you my heart on a string  
I just don't wanna miss anything

I'm trying real hard not to shake  
I'm biting my tongue  
But I'm feeling alive and with every breath that I take  
I feel like I've won  
You're my key to survival

And if it's a hero you want  
I can save you. Just stay here  
Your whispers are priceless  
Your presence is too, So please stay here

Will you stay awake for me?  
I don't wanna miss anything  
I don't wanna miss anything  
I will share the air I breathe  
I'll give you my heart on a string  
I just don't wanna miss anything

Say my name I just want to hear you  
Say my name so I know it's true  
You're changing me, you're changing me  
You showed me how to live  
So just say. So just say

That you'll stay awake for me  
I don't wanna miss anything  
I don't wanna miss anything  
I will share the air I breathe  
I'll give you my heart on a string  
I just don't wanna miss anything"

"Where'd you come up with that?" I asked sleepily.

"I didn't," he said softly.

I nodded once and then slipped into a deep sleep with my body pressed against his, and my head pressed onto his shoulder.

XoXo

**So there you go. Another chapter in the life of Acacia. R&R. Tell your friends, tell them to tell your friends and don't forget to READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Anyway, I liked the song because it really gave me inspiration for her next chapter. I know that it takes me forever to update, but I'll try for at least once a week from now on, okay? **


	10. Happy Endings

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my character, Raine, Aspen, and Chloe. The rest is all J.K. Rowlings!**

_Time does tell  
That even if they say so  
She'd be the one that would know  
That I did do what I've done  
And I, I wouldn't call it cheating  
I'd just say I was leading her on  
Why walk while I run a-way_

I woke up to James snoring softly in my ear. I looked up at him and smiled slightly. He was still sleeping, which meant I couldn't move until he woke up. Not that it wasn't comfortable; it was just a little annoying to be laying there. I could hear footsteps coming down the stairs and closed my eyes quickly. Judging by how they stomped down the staircase, I thought that it was Raine. "How does the most evil girl in the whole school get James Potter?!" she huffed, so I _was_ right.

"Maybe by being nice and trying not to act like her parents!" Chloe snapped back.

"But I am a Vondurri! Pureblood! She's not! You can't be a pureblood if you're the Dark Lord's daughter! He was a half-blood!"

"What does it matter?!"

"It matters to me! James Potter is nice and sweet and he's very studious. Unlike her!" She started to walk over to him. I opened my eyes a slit, watching her every move with surprising jealousy. She was ruffling his hair and rubbing his cheeks. He moved a little bit, scrunching his nose. She then walked over to me and looked at me with absolute disgust. She rubbed my cheek with vigor, but then slapped it. I could feel the tears spring up in my eyes. I jumped up and looked at her in anger, her eyes widened with fear.

"What the _hell_ was that for, Vondurri?!" I shrieked, feeling the heat in my cheek.

"N-Nothing!" she squeaked.

"You'd better hope that it was for nothing!" I growled, feeling my features distort with ugly anger. "I know what you are. You're just jealous that I'm smarter than you, have better friends than you, that people don't care if I'm Voldemort's daughter and that I have James Potter!"

"That's a lie!"

"Oh is it? Don't try to scare me with the fact that you are a pureblood. It doesn't matter to me, and it doesn't matter to anyone else anymore! So just go back upstairs and think about how much of a bitch you are!"

She turned away with wide eyes and felt her cheek as though I had slapped her. I smiled to myself and then turned to James who was now sitting up. He had disappointment written liberally over his features. He shook his head and then looked at me with something that's hard to explain.

"What?" I asked, concerned.

"I thought you were better than that!"

"Better than what?!"

"Better than them! You just stooped down to their level, if not lower!" He turned away, not letting me say anything more and stalked into the boy's dormitories. I turned away from the sofa where a memory that would be forever in my mind happened, and walked up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Who knew if I would ever be able to have a conversation with him? Only time would tell.

_You- you ask me what went wrong  
Me- i'll write you this last song  
Please- just tell me one way we can win  
One- more thing before I go  
Two- the one who loves me so  
Three- don't make me count to three again_

About a month later, nearing Thanksgiving, I was having another meeting with Professor Longbottom. This one was different from the others, given the fact that we were talking about the relationships that I had formed over the past three months. "So, I see that you have become close with James Potter, Fred Weasley and Aspen Green. How are they treating you?" he asked nicely, smiling at me over his desk.

"Good. Better than most anyway. Aspen is easily my best friend, Fred is kind of along for the ride and James is sweet," I answered.

"What do you mean better than most? Are they still judging you because of your name?"

"Well, not really. The first and second years are nice, and most of the third years. But the older ones are kind of mean, probably because they've heard from their parents what my mother did."

"But, they should know by now that you are nothing like her, right?"

"I guess. But it doesn't really matter now. I mean, I can't change their opinions if that's what they've been thinking for the past couple months."

"Why not?"

"Why not what?"

"Why can't you change their opinion?"

"Because. They have their thoughts about me and I can't change that when they've known me for the past two months!" Longbottom nodded slowly and took a note. "What are you writing down?"

"Nothing," Longbottom said smoothly.

"It doesn't look like nothing! It looks like you're taking notes on what I'm saying!" I watched as he calmly put his quill down. He laced his fingers together and turned his usually brown eyes toward me. I stared straight on at him, my eyes not moving from where I had put them. "You're taking notes on what I am saying?"

"Just to see if what you say now and what you'll say later connect," he said calmly, to match his manner.

"I don't want to be recorded, _Professor_ Longbottom!" I spat. I watched as he dragged his hand through his brown hair. I stood up and wheeled around, making to leave.

"Acacia Lestrange! Get back here!" he shrieked as I thrust open the door.

"No! You cannot command me to do anything! I am through with being told to do things and being recorded in what I say! I am not something that you can dissect! I am a human being! I have feelings! I cannot be manipulated!"

I stalked out of the room, not looking back when I heard him calling my name. Who was he that thought he could write down whatever I said probably to use it for a sick cause! I stomped to the Great Hall and sat down next to Aspen when I arrived. "What's got you in a tizzy?" Aspen asked with a smile.

"Life," I said expertly.

"Now, now, you're not a hundred years old!" Fred laughed.

"No, but it feels like it!"

"Too bad you don't have any friends that could share the pain with you!" James said scathingly. We still weren't friends than.

"Maybe I will. And maybe I'll find friends that don't leave me in the dust when I'm trying to defend my honor!"

"You're honor?! What honor is there in yelling at someone?"

"The same honor that is in killing someone."

"Oh, so no honor, then?"

"What are you two arguing about now?" Aspen asked, exasperatedly. I looked at her with anger burning my eyes. James just stared at his plate and started to eat. "Are you going to answer me? Or am I going to have to find out for myself?"

"Why don't you ask Acacia? She'll answer you if she's not too moody!" James mocked. I looked at him with a wide smile. "Well, are you going to answer them?"

"Nope. It's your fault that we're not friends anymore and you know it!"

"Oh really? Is it my fault that you literally blew up at Raine?!"

"She slapped me across the face!"

"And that grants you power to yell at her?!"

"It doesn't matter now! It was a month ago!"

"Shut up! The both of you!" Fred screamed at the top of his lungs. "I am going to ask the people at this table a question, a question that you two are not able to answer! Do you both understand me?!" James and I nodded slowly. Fred stood up on the top of the table then, making sure not to step on any food, he spread his hands wide. "_GRYFFINDOR TABLE!" _he yelled. _"I have a question for you and one question only, you must pay attention and you must answer! Do you think that it is right for James Potter to be upset with Acacia Lestrange just because she yelled at an enemy?"_

The Gryffindor table erupted into murmuring again, except this time they actually listened to Fred. Fred finally held up his hands, the table quieted down again. He opened his mouth to speak. _"What are your answers? I will be taking them one at a time! You?" _He pointed to a second year.

"No. I don't believe they should," he answered.

"Why?"

"Because if it is an enemy, then James Potter should be happy that Acacia stood up for herself!"

I watched as Fred nodded. He then pointed to a seventh year. "What do you think?" Fred asked authoritatively.

"Yeah he should be mad!" the girl answered. "She should have let James Potter handle it for her! He seems like he would have enough temper to do what she does!"

I could feel my temper rising up. James looked at me with a softer face. He didn't seem that upset anymore. "Okay! I'll have two more. Unless it's even, then I want one more after that," Fred rambled. He then pointed to a fourth year. "Okay. You!"

The girl stood up alongside Fred. "James," she said calmly, looking at James. "Why are you angry at her? Because of something that she did to protect herself? Why is that a reason to be angry at her? James. Look at her and tell me that you are angry at her still."

James looked at me with a smirk. I smiled back at him. He looked back up at the girl and waited patiently. "I told you to tell me if you angry or not," she said with a smile.

"No. I'm not upset with her anymore. Thanks for your help," he laughed. Fred smiled at the both of us and then looked at the girl.

"What's your name?" Fred asked her.

"Abigail Abercrombie," she said with a smile. Fred nodded and motioned for her to sit down. She did so gracefully and I could feel all the eyes on me. They were watching to see if I would accept his apology.

"Thank you Miss Abercrombie!" Fred said with a large smile. He sat down without taking his eyes off of the both of us. "So, Acacia, James. Have you made up yet?"

James looked at me with apology written in his eyes. I nodded slowly and Fred clapped along with Aspen. "Sorry for yelling at you. You didn't deserve it," James said sweetly.

"No. I did deserve it. Just because they slapped me across the face doesn't mean that they can be yelled at. I guess," I replied with a smile. James, Fred and Aspen laughed loudly. Raine came over to us with an older boy in tow.

"Do I hear happiness over here?" Raine asked scathingly. She sat down between Aspen and I while the older boy sat in between Fred and James.

"Who is that?" I asked angrily.

"This is Abel Vondurri. My _older_ brother. Isn't he lovely?" she asked with a smile.

"Um, no. He's not. Do you know why?" Aspen asked harshly.

"Why is that Green?"

"Because he's related to you is why!" Raine huffed and looked at her older brother with anger in her eyes.

"I don't believe that they appreciate you," she whined. Her older brother rolled his gorgeous brown eyes and ran his fingers through his dark brown hair. "I don't believe that they understand the true power of your _loveliness_."

"I don't believe they have!" Abel responded in his deep voice. I saw Aspen almost fall on her face in her unbelief that Raine had this gorgeous of a brother. "What should I do Raine dearest?"

"I believe that you should flex your muscles for them!" Raine responded eagerly. I looked at Aspen over Raine and she looked at him longingly. Who ever said that eleven year olds couldn't have a crush on hot guys?

Abel stood up and started flexing his muscles. I let out a shriek and stood up. Aspen did the same. We ran out of the Great Hall and back up to the common room. Aspen hurriedly said, _"Happy Endings!"_ We sat down on the couches and burst into hysterical laughter. "He was so hot!" Aspen shrieked.

"I know! How could _she _have a brother _that_ attractive?" I gasped. Aspen shook her head but sobered up.

"Do you wanna listen to something?" she asked. I nodded slowly. "Okay!" She opened her mouth to sing and started singing an amazing song.

"_Happy endings  
Just what did you do, If you're a dream then come true  
Stop pretending  
That what you mean isn't what you say  
Hopeful dreaming,  
Of times before the pain, wishing it was still the same  
Loving, leaving  
Round and round and round we go again_

Walks a-lone, have often lead to thinking  
My love for you is sinking to what seems an all time low  
or high, the limits' never ending,  
And don't you know I'm sending  
There's no venture I won't go  
For you

She walks away, she talks away  
She walks away  
She walks away, she talks away  
Away, away..."

I smiled at her and then sat in silence, letting the last sounds of the song fill the room.

XoXo

**So there you go. Another chapter in the life of Acacia. R&R. Tell your friends, tell them to tell your friends and don't forget to READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Anyway, I liked the song because it really gave me inspiration for her next chapter. I know that it takes me forever to update, but I'll try for at least once a week from now on, okay? **


	11. Syndicate

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my character, Raine, Aspen, and Chloe. The rest is all J.K. Rowlings!**

_Halfway around the world  
Lies the one thing that you want  
Buried in the ground, hundreds of miles down  
First thing that arises in your mind while you awake  
Bending you til you break  
Let me hold you now_

Aspen was looking at me with her huge blue eyes full of expectancy. I waited a few more agonizing moments, but Aspen was practically jumping up and down with anticipation. I continued to smile at her until my mouth hurt. "Acacia! You are so unbearable! What the heck did you think of it?" Aspen shrieked angrily.

"It was amazing! Why does everyone here write songs?" I exclaimed jokingly.

"Raine doesn't. And I'm pretty sure her _gorgeous Slytherin_ brother doesn't either!" Aspen laughed. I just looked at her, shaking my head. She made the most mental jokes ever and only she laughed at them. "What? Wasn't it funny?"

"No. No, Aspen, it really wasn't," James smiled, coming from the entrance. "So, Acacia. How crazy _was_ that?"

"Pretty amazing!" I exclaimed, looking around James to see if Fred had come in behind him. "Where's your idiotic cousin?"

"He should be coming up—Oh! Here is my _brilliant_ cousin, Frederick Weasley!" James yelled when he saw Fred. Fred jumped, but then bowed, grinning widely. Aspen and I burst into laughter.

"Thank you. Thank you. I know! I know! I am absolutely brilliant!" Fred said with a smirk.

"Lies! You are such a liar!" I shrieked Aspen nodded vigorously.

"If there is one thing you are _not_ Fred, it has to be brilliant!" Aspen laughed.

Fred pouted and sat back down next to Aspen. James sat down next to me and looked me straight in the eyes. "Do you remember that game we played the first night?" he asked earnestly. "Let's play again."

"Why?" Aspen asked lazily.

"Because none of us are tired and it's something to do." James looked at all of us with his blue eyes full of want. I nodded, forced Aspen to nod and Fred had no choice but to agree. "I'll go first. The _worst_ thing you've _ever_ done?" His voice was low and ominous and we all laughed.

"I guess I'll go first," Aspen said shyly. "Um. The worst thing I've ever . . . I've cheated on a test before."

James rolled his eyes and grinned at her. "What kind of a worst thing is that?" eh asked harshly. Aspen rolled her eyes back at him and sank back into her chair.

"If you don't like the answers, then don't ask me to play!" she huffed.

"Then you quit!"

"I don't want to quit!"

"Then suck it up!"

Aspen went back down and sulked. I watched James, pursing my lips. He gave me a big smile and then looked at me expectantly. "What?" I asked angrily.

"Answer the question, or quit," he said maliciously.

"I'm not answering the question," I snarled.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you deaf, or did I stutter? I am _not_ answering the _question_!" I stood up and went upstairs, not listening to them calling my back. I changed into my pajamas, laid in my bed and pulled the covers over me. I wasn't tired, but this way I didn't have to listen to them talking.

XoXo

_Baby close your eyes  
Don't open til the morning light  
Baby don't forget  
You haven't lost it all yet_

Nearing Christmas, I was sitting in Professor Longbottom's office again. It was our first meeting of the month and the only reason why I was even coming down was because he said he had something to tell me. I knocked on the door and then let myself in. Longbottom was standing by the window, watching an owl fly by. "Glad you could make it, Acacia," he said from where he stood. "I have to admit that after our last meeting, I wasn't sure if you were going to come."

"You said that you had something important to tell me, so I came," I said pointedly. There was no reason for him to think that I had come because I was going to apologize.

"Oh. Right," he added, downcast. "Well. I have just received a letter from your aunt and –"

"What do you mean aunt?" I interrupted. "Mistress Caroline from the orphanage said that there was no record of any family!"

"I know. But it seems as though you have been mislead. I wrote a letter to your Aunt Andromeda, your mother's sister, and asked if you could stay with her over Christmas holiday. She answered yes, I cleared it all with Professor McGonagall and you will be staying with her over Christmas. Possibly permanently if she wishes."

"But what if _I_ don't _want_ to go there over holiday? What if I _want_ to go to the _orphanage_? Don't I get a _say_ in this?"

"I'm afraid not. But don't worry. Your aunt is a _very_ delightful person."

"How would you know?! What if she hates me because I'm Bellatrix's daughter?! Just like everyone else in the world!"

"I know because we correspond over Teddy's grades in Herbology. She won't hate you because she knows that you are nothing like your mother. Now run along to dinner and don't forget to tell Teddy that you're coming over Christmas!"

I stalked out of his office, slammed his door shut and sat down on the cold, hard stones of the castle. I could feel the angry tears burn their way down my cheeks and the choking sobs work their way up my throat. I finally pulled my knees up to my chest and laid my head down.

_Why doesn't anyone ever give me a choice? _I thought grimly. _Why does it always have to be, Acacia do this, or Acacia do that? No you don't get a choice! Are you blimey well kidding me?! You're only eleven, what do you have to make a choice about?_

I finally stood up, wiped away the tears and went on my way to dinner. I spied a seat next to Aspen and sat down next to her. Teddy saw me make my way in and squished between James and Fred. "Hey 'Cous!" he laughed.

"What?" I snarled.

"Touchy this evening aren't we? I heard you're coming for holiday! That should be fun. I mean, usually it's just me and Gran, but you'll fit in!"

"You're going to Andromeda's for holiday?" James exclaimed excitedly. I nodded slowly. "Cool! They usually come round to grandmum's for dinner on Christmas!"

"That means we have _another_ person our age coming for holiday! Yes!" Fred yelled, pumping his fist.

"Wait until you meet the family! There's mum and dad, Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, Uncle George and Aunt Angelina, Uncle Charlie and Aunt Abrielle, Uncle Percy and Aunt Ada, Grandmum and Granddad, Albus, Lily, Rose, Hugo, Adelaide, Adrian, Adin, Alaire, Adrienne, Alexander, and Amato!" James practically shrieked.

"Yeah. It's a real full house. As you can hear, these two will be incredibly gad if you would join us. Besides. Gran needs another girl in the house." Teddy smiled warmly, his blue eyes turning brown. I gave him a small smile, not committing to anything. "Look. It'll be just like you have a family again. Please come."

He looked so sweet, his eyes warm and pleading that I couldn't help but nod. A loud cheer came fromt eh table. Victorie came over, her sleek blonde hair rippling down her back. "What is going on over here?" she asked her blue eyes bright with excitement.

"Acacia is coming to Gran's over holiday!" Teddy practically screamed.

"That's great! Just wait 'till you meet the family!" she said excitedly. "Teddy. We should go. You still have to study for your Transfiguration test!"

Teddy begrudgingly went with her, giving us a little wave as he went by. I looked at Aspen who was picking at her food, tears spilling down her cheeks. "What's up?" I asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"You guys are gonna have an awesome holiday. Have fun!" Aspen stood up quickly and raced out of the Great Hall.

"What was that all about?" James asked nonchalantly.

"I'm not exactly sure. So, about holiday . . . " We talked through the rest of dinner and through the night.

XoXo

_Don't know what your made of  
Til the one thing that you want  
To come in with the dawn and suddenly changes  
Monday, syndicate me, its everyone the same  
But all we've lost to the flame  
Listen to me now_

I was standing at the platform at King's Cross with Teddy beside me. He was standing erect, almost as though he was my older brother. The Weasley's, Potters and Greens had left a long time ago. Aspen and I had already promised each other to write letters everyday. "When is Andromeda getting here?" I practically whined.

"How am I supposed to know?" Teddy growled.

"Whose been living with her for the past fifteen years?" I joked.

"Me. But that also gives _me_ special privileges!"

"Like what?"

"You'll see!" Teddy bounded into a silver car and stuck his tongue out at me. I could see a woman in the front seat. Teddy rolled his eyes after talking to her for a minute and then got out of the car. "Let's go slowpoke! Gran says she has dinner cooking at home!"

I grinned and then to the car, my drunk dragging on the ground behind me. I opened up a side door and pushed my trunk in, following behind it. I was basically bouncing up and down in my seat and looked at Andromeda with wide eyes. She looked exactly like me, only with lighter hair and softer eyes. She smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Don't worry dear. We'll get to know each other more when I'm not driving!" she said kindly. I smiled and sank back into my seat. Teddy looked back at me with a grin on his face. I stuck out my tongue which made him laugh even harder.

XoXo

_Baby close your eyes  
Don't open til the morning light  
Don't ever forget  
We haven't lost it all yet  
All we know for sure  
Is all that we are fighting for  
Baby don't forget  
We haven't lost it all yet_

Back at Andromeda's house, I had put all of my things in a guest bedroom and was sitting down at the dining room table. Andromeda and Teddy were across from me. "You look exactly like your mother, only with blue eyes, did you know that?" she asked sweetly.

I nodded hanging my head. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

"For what?" she asked. I could hear the laughter in her voice.

"For looking like her."

"You can't help that. All of the Black's look like each other. Except for Narcissa, we're still not sure where she got her looks from," Andromeda laughed. I smiled then, relaxing a little bit. She was exactly like the mother I never had!

When we were eating dinner, I was asking more about my family and her family and Teddy's family. Each question was answered with a question about my life. It was absolutely heaven! And to think that I had considered not coming! I finally was sleepy enough to consider going upstairs to bed. I went up to the room I had been placed in and laid down, pulling the warm covers up to my chin.

I had plugged in a Muggle radio and was listening to the perfect song to lull me to sleep after the busy day.

"_Someday when this is over  
We mix it up, no answer  
For now its when I hold ya  
We are closer, we are closer  
We are closer, we are closer_

Baby close your eyes  
Don't open til the morning light  
Don't ever forget  
We haven't lost it all yet  
And all we know for sure  
Is all that we are fighting for  
Baby don't forget  
We haven't lost it all yet

We are closer  
we are closer  
(We haven't lost it all yet)  
Now we are closer  
(We haven't lost it all yet)  
We are closer"

XoXo

**So this chapter was a little bit of filler, but its okay because the next chapter will be better! This one was fun to write, and the next one is CHRISTMAS WITH THE WEASLEYS! I'm soo excited!!! So keep reading and reviewing because it helps me wake up in the morning!**


	12. Bottle It Up

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my character, Raine, Aspen, and Chloe. The rest is all J.K. Rowlings!**

_There'll be girls across the nation that will eat this up, babe_

_I know that it's your soul, but could you bottle it up_

_And get down to the heart of it, no it's my heart, you're shit out of your luck_

_Don't make me tell you again, my love, love, love, love_

_Love, love, love, love_

I was still sleeping when Teddy came into my room. He was shaking my shoulders so hard that I started to think I would never stop. I blinked my eyes and turned over to look at Teddy, anger searing through my veins. He gave me a smile, his hair turning blue with happiness. I continued to glare at him and he continued to smile. Aunt Andy finally came in and pulled my curtains open. "Good morning, dearie," she said while pulling the covers off of me. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did. Until Teddy came in and woke me up!" I spat at him. He just grinned even wider. Aunt Andy shot him a reproachful look.

"What did I tell you about waking her up?" she asked him, hitting him on the arm with the back of her hand.

"Sorry, Gran. I was just so _bored_!" Teddy exclaimed. "Besides. You said you need to tell her something!"

"Oh. Right. Well, Acacia, you had better get dressed!" Andromeda exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"Why?" I asked, concerned about the sanity of my family.

"We're going to the Burrow!" Teddy yelled excitedly. I shot up out of my bed and went over to the dress that was holding all my things during holiday. I Andy and Teddy just smiled at each other and walked out of the room, letting me change in peace.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, laced up my trainers and raced downstairs. I skidded into the kitchen and practically jumped on Andromeda. "I'm ready Aunt Andy!" I yelled, throwing my arms around her waist. She just laughed and bent to kiss the top of my head.

"I see that, my dear. But eat some breakfast first," she said, grasping my shoulders and pushing me to the table where Teddy was sitting with a huge plateful of food. "Teddy! Save some for Acacia!" Andromeda scolded sternly.

Teddy shot a glare at me, but begrudgingly put some of the food back. I playfully stuck my tongue out at him and took my seat at the table. Aunt Andromeda went back into the kitchen.

"What took you so long?" Teddy asked around a mouthful of food.

"Maybe I enjoy sleeping!" I said snippily. "I'm sorry that I don't run on Teddy time!"

"You should be!"

"You're full of it!"

"Full of what?"

"This food! I'm surprised you can shovel more of it in!" Teddy took another huge bite of food and rolled his eyes at me. I started to laugh, holding my fork up to my mouth. The food sprayed all over the table, which resulted in more laughter from the both of us. Andromeda came out of the kitchen, hands on her hips and a look of determination on her face.

"Are you two ready? Molly just sent an owl saying that we could come at anytime," Andromeda said, shooting Teddy a glare.

"What?! Why are you glaring at _me?!_" Teddy screeched defensively.

"Because I _know_ that _you_ sent a _letter_ to the Weasleys to see if _Victoire_ was coming!"

"Oh. Well, how did you find that out?"

"You may not _think_ that I know what's going on. But I do know and you are banned form corresponding by owl for the rest of the holiday, young man."

"But. . . . But. . . ." Teddy stuttered. Andromeda shot him a glare and Teddy his head. "Fine. I'll stop _corresponding_ by owl!"

Andromeda nodded curtly and then walked out of the dining room. Teddy hung his head even lower and followed her. I looked down at my plate of food longingly but then dumped it in the sink. I followed Teddy and Andromeda to the car that was waiting outside. I threw my coat on and rushed into the piercing cold. Snowflakes were whipping around my face, making pretty patterns in my hair. I ducked into the warmth of the car and we sped away

XoXo

_I am aiming to be somebody that somebody trusts with her delicate soul _

_I don't claim to know much except soon as you start to make room for the parts_

_That aren't you, it gets harder to bloom in a garden of love, love, love, love_

_Love, love, love, love_

When we arrived at the Burrow, James and Fred were excitedly waiting for us. James bounded up to the car door and opened it up. "Acacia!" he yelled. I jumped out of the car and was enveloped in an immediate hug. They finally released me and lead me inside. There was a whole village in there! So many redheaded people were milling about. James automatically grabbed my hand and lead me to a tall, pretty, red headed woman. "Oh! Goodness, James. You scared me!" she exclaimed with a smile, her hand over her heart. "And who is this?"

"This is Acacia Lestrange," James said proudly.

The woman's smile became somewhat strained. "Hello, Acacia," she said, regaining her composure. "I'm Ginny, James' mum." She smiled pleasantly and stuck out her hand. "Come and meet the rest of the family. "She smiled at me and I quickly grabbed James' hand. "There's Harry, my husband and James' father." She pointed at a tall, black-haired man with green eyes. "Ron and Hermione, my brother and his wife." A red-headed man and a bushy haired woman smiled. "My brother George and his wife Angelina. Percy, another brother of mine and Aubrey, his wife. Bill, only one more brother left, his wife Fleur and the last brother. Charlie, the only one that didn't marry or have kids. Do you have all that?" she asked good naturedly. I was looking at everyone in the room with wide eyes, wondering how I was ever going to remember them all.

Ginny laughed at the face I was making. "Don't worry about remembering all of them. I'm surprised _I_ can remember them all! Anyway, James. Why don't you take Acacia upstairs to where the rest of the kids are?"

"Sure, Mum. When's dinner?" James asked hungrily, eyeing the kitchen.

"It's not even noon yet! You get upstairs young man and no detours through the kitchen!" Ginny said, looking at him knowingly. James hung his head and started to trudge up the stairs.

As soon as we were out of anyone's line of sight, James perked up and ran into a room. He beckoned for me to follow him. I crept into the room and was unsurprised to see all of his things there. He was digging into his trunk, obviously looking for something. I stood by the doorway, taking in how big this place was, when on the outside, it looked like it was held up by magic!

"I've found it!" James exclaimed, brandishing a cloak that looked as though it was made of silk.

"You found what now?" I asked, slightly confused.

"The old invisibility cloak that dad gave me when I left for school," he said happily. I smiled at him, now realizing his plan.

"We're not going to follow the rules are we?" I asked, rolling my eyes. James nodded, a grin written on his own lips.

"Now, my dear Acacia, wherever would you get an idea like that?" he teased. I stuck my tongue out at him and came closer. "Do not touch the cloak! We have to get Rose first!"

"Why Rose?"

"Because she will keep watch for us! And I like her best!" I pouted good naturedly and James let out a ringing laugh. "Come on. We'd better get a move on if we want to get some things before mum catches us!"

James tucked the cloak under his arm and we ran down the hall. We stopped at a room that was emitting loud noises. "What is going on in there?" I asked wondrously.

"These are the kids!" James said, pushing the door open. The first thing I saw was a bunch of children that were red-headed, blonde or dark-haired. James smiled at them all and then took me around to meet all of them. "This is Roxanne, Fred's little sister," a small girl with long black hair and olive skin. "Lucy and Molly," two little red-headed girls about two years apart smiled at me. "Molly is the older one," James whispered. "Erm, Lily, my bugger of a sister," a pretty red head smiled at me. She looked exactly like her mother. "Albus, my bugger of a brother," a black-haired boy smiled at me. He looked like his father. "Hugo and Rose, Uncle Ron's kids. Dominique and Louis, Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur's kids." Incredibly fair children looked up at me, apparently having their sister's looks.

"So here they all are. And I need one of you!" About five children stood up, including Rose. James took a minute, pretending to decide which one to choose. He looked them up and down and finally pointed at Rose. "All right Rosie, come with me!"

Rose complied and walked out of the room with James and me trailing behind. "What are we doing this time, Jamie?" she asked sweetly, rubbing her hands together maliciously.

"We are going to show Acacia a little Christmas tradition of ours," James smiled. Rose's eyes widened with excitement and she laughed. "You know what to do!"

Rose nodded and ran down the stairs, certainly making a distraction for us. James looked at me with a smile and then threw the cloak over top of the both of us. We skillfully ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. We grabbed whatever food and drinks we could find and then waited for the call. Rose did a bird call and then came into the kitchen. "You two couldn't have made it any more obvious!" she whined.

James pulled the cloak off of our heads and then smiled at her. "Don't worry. Mum will never suspect us!" He threw the cloak back over our heads and we ran back up the stairs. We ran into the room where are the kids were waiting for us. They grabbed the food greedily and guzzled the drinks.

About five minutes later, we heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "But dad's another story!" James said, scared now. He gathered all of the food and hid it under the cloak; he pushed the cloak underneath the bed and then sat on top of the bed, trying to look as innocent as possible. Harry came inside the room and glared down at all of us.

"James Sirius Potter! Where is it?" Harry asked angrily.

"Where's what?" James asked in an innocent tone that no one bought.

"The food and the invisibility cloak! Out with it now, young man!" James hung his head and then looked back at his father with eyes shining with tears.

"Why would you think I would take it?"

"Because I have raised you. Now you come out with it or you will be grounded for the rest of the holiday!" James didn't make anymore moves to deny it. "Fine. _Accio _Cloak_!_"

The invisibility cloak flew into Harry's hand. "You. Now. You're coming with me!" James begrudgingly followed his father and then shot me a furtive glance. I shook my head and then waited patiently to be called for also. Rose just sat there with an expectant look. We waited for five minutes and still nothing came.

XoXo

**This was the first of three chapters to go over the Christmas! Hope you liked it and it was better than the last one! READ AND REVIEW!**


	13. Don't Forget

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my character, Raine, Aspen, and Chloe. The rest is all J.K. Rowlings!**

I shared a look with Rose as soon as James let and the kids started to talk again. She came up onto the bed and sat down next to me. She smiled and I smiled back shakily. "Don't worry," she said with a smiled. "This happens every year and nothing happens to him. Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry will just be mad for a little while."

"But what about your Mum and Dad? Won't they be mad?" I asked, my brows knitting together in confusion.

"Well, yeah. But so will Andromeda. They all _know_ this is a tradition of hours. I bet they even did it when they were younger," Rose said matter-of-factly, not heeding the frightened look that I was giving her.

"Andromeda is going to be _mad_ at me?" I asked, fright hiking my voice a pitch higher. Rose nodded, examining her younger brother on the floor. I could feel my heart beating faster than normal. I didn't think I could handle Andromeda getting mad at me.

"We both looked up when James opened the door quietly, his head hung solemnly. He shut the door and then turned to us with a huge smile. "We are _so_ off the hook!" he said excitedly. Albus looked up at his brother, his green eyes flashing.

"Off the hook for what, James?" Albus asked, sitting next to Rose on the bed.

"What do you think, Al?" James asked angrily. Albus narrowed his eyes and it looked like a fight was about to break out.

"Knock it off you too!" Rose bit hotly. James turned his angry eyes to Rose's calm brown ones. "What? Are you going to argue with me too?

"No," James said sulkily.

"That's what I thought," Rose said hotly. James rolled his eyes, but looked at me all the same.

"How's your first _real_ Christmas?" James asked, staring intently into my eyes.

"How do you know if this is my first _real _Christmas?" I asked back, rolling my eyes. "And besides. If all you're doing over holiday is getting in trouble, than you have fun with that."

"It's not about getting in trouble! It's about the satisfaction of the joke!" James said proudly. Rose, Albus and I all started to laugh at him. "What? Fred agrees with me! Right?"

Fred looked at us, his brown eyes smiling. "What are we talking about?" he asked, pulling Roxanne into his lap.

"The thrill of getting in trouble because of a joke. Is it all worth it?" I mocked. Rose and Albus laughed while James rolled his eyes.

"Of course! I mean, didn't you get a thrill from doing the _tradition_?" Fred asked, standing up and walking around the room, treading on a few children in the meantime.

I rolled my eyes at the two mental pranksters. They had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Eventually it was going to catch up with them. They couldn't be young forever. You had to grow up or never get the respect that you truly deserved, wanted and needed.

We all started when Victoire opened the door, gaining a hug from her sister and a smile from her brother. She pointed at Rose, James and I and motioned for us to follow her. We silently got up as one and went downstairs. "I thought you said we were _off_ the hook!" I hissed at James, keeping my eyes on Victoire's slim back.

"Yeah. With our parents. Grandmum is a different story," James said, his eyes growing wide. Rose was talking animatedly with Victoire so James and I were free to talk louder.

"_Grandmum_?! What is _she_ going to do?" I whispered fiercely.

"How the heck should I know?"

"Why would _she_ be mad at us?"

"Because she made all the food!"

"Oh, great. I have a woman that I've never even met mad at me and it's _all your fault_!"

"You could have said no at any point in time!"

"How the heck was I supposed to know what we were doing?"

"I _told_ you what we were doing!"

"You said no such thing!"

"Would you two stop arguing?" Victoire exclaimed exasperatedly. "Grandmum's in here." She was pointing to the kitchen.

"Of course she's in there. Where else would she be?" James said nervously.

"Just get in there you loon!" Victoire put her cold hands on our backs and shoved us into the kitchen. A plump, red and gray haired woman was standing at the stove. She didn't acknowledge us at all.

"G-Grandmum?" Rose asked nervously, stepping up to the woman.

"No! Don't!" the woman shrieked, making us all jump with surprise. Who know the woman could be so loud? "I spend all yesterday, all morning and probably all afternoon making this food for the _family_ and you three ruin it!"

"We're really sorry, grandmum. We weren't thinking about—"James pleaded, getting cut off again.

"Weren't thinking about _what_, James Sirius Potter?!" she shrieked again. This time she turned around and her eyes widened when she saw me. "You're not Fred."

"No. I am not Fred," I responded, a bit scared of her outburst.

"But . . . . But you're . . . . You're . . . ." she stammered, seemingly unable to finish her sentence. "You three can go. But James!" she said sternly. James turned around, fear etched into his face. "Send Andromeda in. I need to speak with her."

James nodded and we ran out of the kitchen. "Go find your aunt," he said breathlessly.

"She told you to do it!" I answered, a bit angry at him for making their grandmother seem sorry.

"But I need to go upstairs!"

"Why?"

"Because I need tot ell Al that I didn't get in trouble this time! You know, you're a good luck charm!"

"I am not! Just go tell your brother and I'll be up soon." I grumbled. He shot me a grin and then ran up the stairs with Rose on his tail.

I meandered into the living room, where all the adults were. I couldn't see Aunt Andromeda anywhere! I finally tapped one of the red-headed men on the shoulder. He turned his warm brown eyes to look at me and smiled. "Do you need something?" he asked warmly.

"I'm looking for Aunt Andromeda," I replied quietly.

"Aunt, huh? And who might you be that you're calling her Aunt?" he asked boldly, raising his fair eyebrows.

"Acacia," I responded lightly, not quite wanting to tell him my last name.

"Acacia what?" he asked inquisitively.

"Acacia Lestrange," I said quickly. I knew that he understood me though, because his cavalier attitude suddenly hardened.

"Hey, Andromeda!" he called gruffly. She turned around and waved at him.

"What do you need, George?" she smiled, coming over to us. She smiled at me and kissed my forehead.

"She wants you," he replied, walking away from us. Andromeda watched him quietly, pursing her lips. She then turned to me and smiled again.

"What's up?" she asked good-naturedly.

"Come this way!" I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the kitchen.

"Why does Molly what me?"

"I don't know! Just go in there so I can go back upstairs!"

"All right. I'll go. But _be good_ and don't you even dare think that we are through talking about your behavior!" Aunt Andromeda said sternly. I nodded and then rain up the stairs.

XoXo

A few hours later, we were all sitting around the dinner table. I was squished between James and Fred with Fred's father staring us down and Molly Weasley panicking every time she had to do something near me. The tables were placed all throughout the house, mainly because it was too cold to go outside and because there was a lot of people in the house. James and Fred were talking around me and I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. I looked up and saw Teddy smiling down at me. "How do you like it so far?" he asked sweetly.

"It's good. Why are you here?" I asked, smiling back at him. He pouted and then burst into a smile.

"I was just checking. No need to be testing. Anyway, Gran said that we were staying the night. Just thought I'd let you know. That's it. Bye." Teddy let go of my shoulders and then walked away, leaving me alone with Fred and James and George.

"No way! You're staying here!" James exclaimed, excitement evident in every inch of his face. "We live right next door! This last holiday week is going to be epic!"

I smiled back at him, but then frowned when I saw George's intent glare. "Why does your dad hate me?" I whispered to Fred.

"I dunno, let me ask him. Hey, dad?" he asked. George turned to him with his brown eyes suddenly bright.

"Yes?" George answered, smiling widely.

"Why do you hate Acacia?" Fred asked blatantly. George's smile quickly disappeared and he turned to me.

"Not now, son," George muttered, staring at me.

"Fine. But I'm not a little kid anymore! I'm eleven I hope you know!" Fred said indignantly. This brought a round of laughter from both James and me. Fred looked at us with his intent brown eyes and frowning. "What? I am!"

"Whatever you say, Fred," James spluttered.

"We believe you," I said, struggling not to laugh.

"Good!" Fred sulked. James and I continued to laugh throughout dinner and eventually just gave up trying to eat altogether.

XoXo

When the meal was over, I was trudging up the stairs to Ginny's old bedroom with Rose on my tail when I heard something coming from one of the closed doors. It was Victoire's room. I stopped and listened for a little while. There was a guitar playing and then I heard her singing.

"_Did you forget  
That I was even alive  
Did you forget  
Everything you ever had  
Did you forget  
Did you forget  
About me?_

Did you regret (did you regret)  
Ever standing by my side  
Did you forget (did you forget)  
What we were feeling inside  
Now I'm left  
To forget  
About us

But somewhere we went wrong  
We were once so strong  
Our love is like a song  
You can't forget it

So now I guess  
This is where we have to stand  
Did you regret  
Ever holding my hand  
Never again  
Please don't forget  
Don't forget

We had it all  
We were just about to fall  
Even more in love  
Than we were before  
I won't forget  
I won't forget  
About us

But somewhere we went wrong  
We were once so strong  
Our love is like a song  
You can't forget it

Somewhere we went wrong  
We were once so strong  
Our love is like a song  
You can't forget it

And at last  
All the pictures have been burned  
And all the past  
Is just a lesson that we've learned  
I won't forget it  
Please don't forget  
About us

But somewhere we went wrong  
Our love is like a song  
But you won't sing along  
You've forgotten  
About us"

The guitar playing stopped and I opened up the door, watching silently as Victoire put the guitar back in its case, silver tears dripping like pearls onto the guitar case. She looked up at me and then quickly wiped them away, trying not to show me her weakness. "What are you doing in here?" she asked, not angrily just wondering what I was doing.

"I'm sorry. I was just wondering what you were doing," I said, hanging my head.

She laughed and then walked over to me, enveloping me in a hug. She then came down to my height and stared me in the eyes. "Don't you ever try to grow up too fast, all right? Out of all the things you can promise me, make sure that that is the one you keep." I nodded hurriedly and she seemed satisfied. She kissed me on the forehead and then followed me up to my room. "You must be exhausted. Let's get you to bed, okay?"

I nodded silently and then changed into my pajamas, shivering in the sudden cold. I slipped into my bed, falling asleep quickly and silently, listening to the steady breathing of Rose and Dominique. I dreamed of pleasant things, of family and friends but also of the cold stare of George and what I could have done to deserve that.

XoXo

**This was the first of three chapters to go over the Christmas! Hope you liked it and it was better than the last one! READ AND REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay guys, it might be awhile until I update because I have incredibly bad writer's block, which is really psyching me out. If any of you have any suggestions as to anything that I could write I would gladly take it! Please help me! I really want to finish this story and I'm kind of scared that I won't!**

**Please help me!**

**-Ed**


	15. Be Good To Me

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, in fact I would have incredible writer's block and I wouldn't know what to do with myself!**

**So here I am, over my bout of writer's block and ready for you guys to have a blast with Acacia again, so here goes. This one is back at school in their fifth year. I know this is skipping ahead, but I can't help but make this one more mature than they are in first year. Enjoy!**

Aspen POV

_Everyday is getting worse  
Do the same things and it hurts  
I don't know if I should cry  
All I know is that I'm tryin'  
I wanna believe in you  
I wanna believe in you  
But you make it so hard to do_

I remember those days as well as if it happened yesterday. They had come back, Acacia looking as bleak as ever, James with a smile on his handsome face and Fred with his eyes dancing. I didn't understand why Acacia was bleak, but I didn't dare ask, knowing what she would do to me if she lost her temper. She was scary when she was like that, but she was also my best friend. Over the past few months, we had gotten to know each other incredibly well, but I was still frightened by her. Her mother was the most notorious of the Death Eater's, who wouldn't be frightened by her. Well, everyone was, except for Raine. Raine was in a different category. Instead of being frightened by Acacia, Raine wanted to make Acacia's life a living hell. Raine didn't frighten me, she just annoyed me. Anyway, back to the real story. As soon as I saw Fred, I remember running to him and enveloping my arms around him. "Hey, Aspen. I missed you too!" Fred said with a huge smile.

"Who said that I missed you?" I asked, looking up at him with my grey eyes full of laughter, blinking rapidly.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that you're hug just said it all!" he laughed. I rolled my eyes and then looked at Acacia. She had a grin on her face and James was laughing at something he had just said. I rolled my eyes at them and then ran to Acacia. She hugged me back, tighter than I had ever felt her hug me before.

"I missed you so much, Aspen! You have no idea how much these two get annoying after awhile!" she laughed, throwing a look at James.

"How was the family?" I asked boldly, looking intently into her ice blue eyes. She smiled and then looked at James again, smiling broadly.

"They werenice. Nicer than I would have expected anyway. How was your holiday?" she asked, her eyes glinting maliciously.

"It was boring! No one was home except for mum and dad. You probably had way too much excitement!" I grumbled, lowering my head. Acacia let out a low, ringing laugh. James joined in because it was that contagious. "What?" I pouted, looking Fred straight in the eyes. He was the only one that hadn't laughed!

"Nothing. The holiday was completely crazy. You were lucky not to be there," he said, clasping my hand and leading me to the Great Hall. We looked back, and saw that James and Acacia were standing together and talking. "They so like each other!" Fred whispered in my ear.

"How can you tell?" I asked, my brows furrowing together in confusion.

"It is so obvious! The way he carries himself shows it all!" Fred smiled at me. I laughed and then looked back at the two. He was definitely right, and if he was right about that, did he know that I liked him and had since the beginning of the year?

XoXo

_What's the point of makin' plans  
You break all the ones we had  
I don't know where we went wrong  
Cuz we used to be so strong  
I wanna believe in you  
I wanna believe in you_

So why can't you be  
Be good to me

The four of us were sitting down, eating dinner as we had before the holiday. James and Fred were laughing about a joke they had pulled on a few second years and were quickly gaining looks from other students. Acacia was picking at her food and I couldn't help but notice that something was wrong. "What's up?" I asked, putting my hand on her shoulder comfortingly. She looked at me with cold eyes, but a smile on her lips.

"Nothing," she said, seeming a little distant. I continued to look at her until she gave in. She rolled her eyes and then sighed. "I'll tell you later. I don't want everyone to hear, all right?" I nodded and then went back to eating my food. I looked up, feeling someone's eyes on the back of my head. I turned and saw Fred.

"What?" I asked around a mouthful of food. He pulled me up from the table and dragged me away from the people. "Fred! What do you want?!"

"What are you and Acacia talking about?" he asked earnestly, not letting go of my arm.

"Nothing! Get off of me!" I shrieked, trying to rip my arm away from him, he didn't let go.

"I wanna know and you're gonna tell me!" he growled.

"What does it matter?"

"I don't want to see James get hurt!"

"How would Acacia hurt him? She likes him, just as much as he likes her!"

"How can you tell?"

"She my best friend. I can tell how much she likes him, just like you can tell how much he likes her!"

"What if I don't believe you?"

"Then don't believe me! Let go of me!" I said, ripping my arm from his hands. "And don't you ever touch me like that again!" I stalked away from him, sitting back down in my seat. Acacia had turned away from James with an angry look gracing her beautiful features. "What's wrong?" I asked again.

"Nothing. You know what? I'm not so hungry anymore. I'm gonna go up to bed!" she said, standing up and walking away from us. I could see her hand travelling up her cheeks to wipe away a wayward tear. I turned to James, heat searing through my veins and glared at him.

"What?" he yelped, backing away from my furious look.

"What the _bloody hell_ did you _do_ to her?!" I shrieked, feeling my eyes narrow in anger.

"I didn't do anything!"

"You had better tell me now James or I will not be speaking to you again!" James looked shiftily around but then sighed.

"Fine, Aspen. I'll tell you. I'm dating Raine, and you know how they have that _insane_ feud or something?"

"It is not insane!"

"Yes it is. Anyway, she doesn't like that I'm dating her and well, I told her she's overreacting. That's when you guys came back and she left." I rolled my eyes and then my mouth fell open, it finally dawning on me that he was _dating_ Raine! Acacia's mortal enemy! How could he betray their friendship like that?!

"How could you?!"

"How could I what?!"

"You know how much that she _doesn't _like Raine and yet you'll go out with her?!"

"I can't help who I like!" James protested, running his fingers through his hair. Just as he said that, Raine came up behind him, put her long fingers over his eyes, blocking out his vision. "Um, Raine?" he asked, already knowing who it was.

"Good job!" she laughed, covering his mouth with her lips. I almost puked, but restrained myself. Fred almost burst out laughing, but then ran out of the room. I was left alone, I felt bad running away, but felt awkward just sitting there. They finally broke apart, and then looked at me. "Oh, it's you," Raine said condescendingly.

"Yeah, it's me. Hey, if it's all right with you, I'm gonna leave." James nodded, Raine gave me a look and then I left.

XoXo

_I don't ask for much  
All I want is love  
Someone to see  
That's all I need  
Somebody to be  
Somebody to be  
Somebody to be  
Good to me  
Good to me  
Can you be good to me  
Good to me  
Please_

I was back in the common room, sitting down and reading a book, when Fred walked in. "What were doing all that time?" I asked over my book.

"Nothing," he said unconvincingly.

"What happens if I don't believe you?"

"Then you can not believe me! What makes you think I care?"

"Because I know you do!" Fred laughed at that, his warm eyes smiling. I felt a flutter of butterflies in my stomach. "Anyway, Acacia's upset. I haven't been able to get a word out of her."

"What's she upset about?"

"Nothing. But we need to figure out a way to get this out of her!" Fred nodded and then leaned in. He whispered in my ear and I laughed at the sheer genius of it! "This is _definitely_ going to work!"

XoXo

_I used to think I had it all  
Then one day we hit a wall  
I had hoped you were the one  
Where's my dream, where has it gone  
I wanted to be with you  
Forever just me and you_

So why can't you be  
Be good to me

I was walking up to the girls dorms to talk to Acacia when I heard a guitar and her voice wafting through the hall. I stopped outside of the fifth years dorm and listened.

"_I don't ask for much_

All I want is love  
Someone to see  
That's all I need  
Somebody to be  
Somebody to be  
Somebody to be  
Good to me  
Good to me  
Can you be good to me  
Good to me  
Please

Where do I go from here  
You've gotten under my skin  
And I don't know how  
To get out of this place that I'm in

I don't ask for much  
All I want is love  
Someone to see  
That's all I need  
Somebody to be  
Somebody to be  
Somebody to be  
Good to me  
Good to me  
Can you be good to me  
Good to me  
Please

I don't ask for much  
All I want is love  
Someone to see  
That's all I need  
Somebody to be  
Someone to be  
Somebody to be  
Good to me  
Good to me  
Can you be good to me  
Good to me  
Please"

I opened the door and saw Acacia crying over her guitar. I went over and wrapped my arms around her. "What's the matter?" I asked in her ear.

"I love him Aspen! I absolutely love him! What can I do to make him see that?" she asked through her tears.

"I have a way, but you absolutely have to follow it!" Acacia nodded and then put her guitar away. I told her my plan and then waited for her to respond. She brightened up and then lay down, falling asleep instantly. I smiled, kissed her forehead and then changed into my pajamas.

XoXo

**So there you go. I hope you liked it! I will definitely be continuing this one! I hope this was a good view on the older Acacia, Aspen, Fred, James and Raine! Remember, read and review!**

**-Ed**


	16. How Sweet It Is

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, in fact I would have incredible writer's block and I wouldn't know what to do with myself!**

**So here I am, over my bout of writer's block and ready for you guys to have a blast with Acacia again, so here goes. This one is back at school in their fifth year. I know this is skipping ahead, but I can't help but make this one more mature than they are in first year. Enjoy!**

Aspen POV

_Needed the shelter of someone's arms  
And there you were  
Needed someone to understand my ups and downs  
And there you were  
With sweet love and devotion  
Touching my emotions_

I wanna stop  
And thank you baby  
I just wanna stop  
And thank you baby  
Whoa Oh Yeah

I woke up, shaking all over, not from the cold, but from fright. What I was frightened from, I can hardly tell you! But then I realized it. There was a silvery blonde woman in the room, standing by Acacia. She finally walked over to me and then pushed me. I opened my eyes even more and then quickly stood up. "Where is my niece?" she growled angrily. I shook even harder and then pointed to where Acacia was still sleeping peacefully. "Thank you." The hard woman stalked to where Acacia was and harshly woke her up.

"What are you doing?!" I shrieked, ripping her hand from Acacia's back. The woman turned her cold gray eyes toward me.

"Do you _know_ who I am?" she growled. I silently shook my head, scared out of my wits.

"I am Narcissa Malfoy! Her aunt and her guardian! If you dare touch me again, I swear that I will curse you into oblivion. Do you understand?" I nodded and then took off down the stairs. I stopped in the common room, looking around to see if anyone was there. No one was. I decided that I was going to go up to the boys' dormitories and see if Fred was awake.

I ran up those stairs and opened the fifth year dorm. No one was awake up here either. I saw Fred and decided to sit on his bed. I sat down and then waited for him to wake up. It only took about a minute. He sat up and then looked at me, confusion written on his face. "What are you doing up here?" he asked sleepily.

"Narcissa Malfoy is in our dorm, she scares me so I came in here," I said in a rush.

"Narcissa Malfoy?! What the hell is she doing here?" Fred asked, jumping up. "We have to go back in there!" I noticed that he only slept in his pants, making me blush. I nodded and then ran full speed down the stairs. Fred was on my tail, almost making it past me. I made it back up the stairs but Fred couldn't get up.

"What are you doing?!" I asked, struggling not to laugh.

"I can't get up?" he pouted.

"Why not?"

"I have no idea! You're gonna have to do this yourself!"

"I am not going to face her again!"

"Then you're just letting Acacia face the wrath of her aunt!"

"Fine! But if I don't come back, I blame it on you!" Fred laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, drama queen!" I stuck my tongue out at him, rolled my eyes and then went to the fifth year's dormitories. I could hear yelling from within. It was a good thing that the others were out doing something. I opened the door, scared of what I would find there. I saw Acacia with tears running down her cheeks, but looking as defiant as ever and Narcissa with her wand held at her niece and a look of hatred on her face.

"What are _you_ doing in here?!" Narcissa growled.

"I-I-I'm here to get Acacia!" I stammered as dignified as I could manage.

"You? A lowly half-blood is here to get my pure-blooded niece? Now I know what kind of scum my niece hangs around with!" Narcissa spat in my face. I almost cried, I was so scared. I had no idea how Acacia could stand this for the holidays!

"Aunt Narcissa! Stop! She's done nothing wrong!" Acacia screeched, stepping up.

"How dare you talk to me like that, child! You may be Bella's daughter, but you will never be able to live up to what she did to preserve our family's honor!"

"Honor? What honor is there in killing innocent people?!"

"Who ever said that they were innocent?"

"Them! Your _sister_ may have been trying to protect your family's honor, but she will _never_ be my mother!"

"You have her blood running through your veins!"

"I don't give a damn! Do you think that if she was my mother, she would have died willingly and left me here alone?!"

"Yes!"

"Well, that just proved everything I needed to hear!" Acacia grabbed my arm and then pulled me out of the room. We walked down the stairs. Fred gave me a sympathetic look. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? Coming into the room when she's there?!"

"I thought that I could help!"

"Help who?! Yourself getting killed?!"

"How do you deal with her?"

"I don't! Do you really think that I spend time at home?" Acacia turned away from me and started to sob. I put my arms around her hugged her, letting her tears fall into my hair. Fred just looked on, sitting down on a chair. I gave him a small smile and he smiled back. "W-Why did s-she h-have to c-come here? This is th-the one place th-that I go t-to get a-away from th-them!"

"It's fine! Just calm down. The rest of today can't get any worse!" I said soothingly. She scoffed harshly and then wiped at her tears.

"I'm going back upstairs. She's bound to be gone by now. Are you coming?" I nodded and then followed her up, leaving Fred alone.

XoXo

_How sweet it is to be loved by you  
How sweet it is to be loved by you_

I close my eyes at night  
Wondering where would I be without you in my life?  
Everything I did was such a bore  
Everywhere I went you know  
I'd been there before  
But you brighten up for me all my days  
With a love so sweet in so many ways  
I wanna stop  
And thank you baby  
I just wanna stop and thank you baby  
Whoa, oh

We were all sitting down at breakfast; it was I, Fred, James, Raine, Chloe, Rose, Albus, Lily, Dominique, Roxanne and Hugo. It was loud, considering most of the Weasley family was here. Acacia was nowhere to be found, James was looking for her, and maybe he really did care what she thought. Fred was cracking a joke that no one thought was funny. I rolled my eyes at him and he cracked a smile. He pulled me away from the table again and then stopped when we were at the far corner.

"You know, people are going to assume that something is going on between us soon," I sneered, smiling at him. He laughed.

"Let them talk," he said good-naturedly. Did he understand how much that made the butterflies in my stomach flutter? I decided not.

"So, what are _we_ talking about?"

"Acacia's not here."

"Thank you captain obvious!"

"I'm worried about her, she hasn't been the same!"

"What do you want her to do? Crack jokes when her aunt just came and basically threatened to take her away!"

"Her aunt can't do that!"

"Yes she can. Narcissa is her guardian!" Fred shook his head and fell silent. I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on us so I decided to give them a little taste of what I could come up with. I planted my lips on top of Fred's and kissed him. Fred resisted for a minute, but then gave in. We pulled away and I gave him a smile.

"What was that for, Aspen?" he asked, smiling.

"Now we've given them something to talk about other than Acacia going missing," I said matter-of-factly. Fred let out a ringing laugh, causing me to laugh too.

"I always knew you were the smart one!" he said jokingly. I pouted but then smiled when he threw his arms around me. We walked back to the Gryffindor table like that, me beaming and Fred laughing.

We were greeted by the shocked looks of Fred's family members. James had a half smile on his lips, Raine was completely shocked as was Chloe, Dominique was laughing, Albus was nodding, Rose was almost cheering, Lily and Roxanne looked like they were barely able to contain their looks of surprise, and Hugo wasn't paying any attention. "I always knew it was going to happen!" James said cheerfully.

"Really? Because I didn't!" Fred said, pulling me down to sit next to him. I smiled up at him and he smiled back.

"Then you must be blind, Fredward! You two were always meant for each other!" Rose teased. Fred blushed and I laughed, I had never seen him blush before.

"I'm going to go find Acacia, anyone want to come with me?" I asked, looking at Fred as I stood up.

"Yeah, I'll come," he sighed.

"Don't get into any trouble you two!" James teased, bringing another round of laughter from the rest of us.

"Oh, ha ha, you're one to talk James!" Fred countered as we walked away.

XoXo

_How sweet it is to be loved by you  
How sweet it is to be loved by you_

You were better to me than I was to myself  
For me there is you and there ain't nobody else  
I wanna stop  
And thank you baby  
I just wanna stop  
And thank you baby  
Oh, whoa, oh

We walked into the Gryffindor common room, spying Acacia right away. She was sitting down in front of the fire, not paying attention to anything. I sat down next to her. "Hey, what are you doing? We're all worried about you," I said calmly.

"I can't go down there. Everyone knows!" she said distractedly.

"Everyone knows what?" Fred asked, confusion highlighting his voice.

"Everyone knows that that bitch is my aunt!"

"So what? They're not gonna say anything!" I said looking at Fred to get his input. He nodded feverishly and then looked away. "Please come down with us. You need to eat something!"

"Fine. I'll come down. But if James is down there with his stupid girlfriend, I'm out of there!" she said, making a deal with the both of us.

"All right. As long as you come down!" Acacia nodded, stood up with us and then made her way down.

XoXo

_Right at the boarderline  
That's where I'm gonna wait, for you  
I'll be lookin out, night n'day  
Took my heart to the limit, and this is where I'll stay  
I can't go any further then this  
I want you so bad it's my only wish  
I can't go any further then this  
I want you so bad it's my only wish_

Let's walk the bridge, to the other side  
Just you and I (just you and I)  
I will fly, fly the skies, for you and I (for you and I)  
I will try, until I die, for you and I, for you and I, for for for you and I,  
For for for you and I, for for you and I, for you and I

When we got to the Great Hall, I looked around to see if James and Raine were anywhere to be found. James was sitting down at the table, but Raine wasn't to be found. Which was a good thing, it meant that Acacia would think about sitting and eating. James leaned across the table to talk to the three of us. "So, Acacia, have you heard about these two?" James asked, throwing us a smile.

"No, no I have not. What about these two?" she asked curtly.

"They're going out!"

"What?! There is no way that these two are going out!"

"Well, believe it sister!" James said. Acacia looked at us with unbelieving eyes. I nodded slowly, worried about what she would say. She decided not to say anything and turned away from us.

I could hear Fred humming something. I looked at him and smiled. "What are you humming?" I asked. He smiled and then sang a little bit of it.

"_How sweet it is to be loved by you  
How sweet it is to be loved by you  
How sweet it is to be loved by you  
How sweet it is to be loved by you"_

I smiled and then kissed him on the lips again, realizing how sweet they were and wondering how I had managed to live without this for so long.

XoXo

**So there you go. I hope you liked it! I will definitely be continuing this one! I hope this was a good view on the older Acacia, Aspen, Fred, James and Raine! Remember, read and review!**

**-Ed**


	17. Fairytale

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, in fact I would have incredible writer's block and I wouldn't know what to do with myself!**

**So here I am and here Acacia is! I finally got over my writer's block with her part. So we're back with First year, their Eleven again and we can all rest a little easier at night, right? Anyway, on with the story!**

_Cinderella's on her bedroom floor  
She's got a  
Crush on the guy at the liquor store  
Cause Mr. Charming don't come home anymore  
And she forgets why she came here  
Sleeping Beauty's in a foul mood  
For shame she says  
None for you dear prince, I'm tired today  
I'd rather sleep my whole life away than have you keep me from dreaming_

I stepped off the train and felt warm arms wrap around me. I looked down at the smiling Aspen and smiled back. Teddy wrapped his own arms around me and smiled himself. "What?" he asked when I scowled up at him, his brown eyes darkening with confusion.

"Nothing," I replied smoothly, smiling widely.

"Sure it is. Hey, Aspen," I watched as she looked at my cousin. "Have you seen Victoire anywhere?" She shook her head, but then looked at me, questions written on her face.

"What's up?" I asked, looping my arm around hers and walking into the castle, welcoming the normal sights that I had missed.

"So, what happened? How was Andromeda?" she asked eagerly as soon as we were inside and out of earshot.

"She was good. Well, better than I expected anyway. She was nicer than expected too. Christmas day was a little hectic, we spent all day with the Weasley's and that was interesting. James got in trouble right away. Didn't you James?" I threw back at him, smiling widely.

His brows furrowed deeply and then he walked over to us, Fred trailing behind. "Didn't I what?" he asked, confusion written in his voice.

"Did you really get into trouble right off the bat? Couldn't control yourself could you?" Aspen teased, bringing a round of laughter from all of us. James laughed along, being able to laugh at himself like he was. We were all happy to be together again, something that couldn't be expressed in only words. We were a well-oiled machine. We could function without one another, but not as well as we could when we were all together. We were finally best friends. It would always be Acacia, Aspen, James and Fred, no matter what we would stick together.

XoXo

_'cause I don't care for your fairytales  
You're so worried about the maiden though you know  
She's only waiting on the next best thing_

When we got inside the castle and into the Gryffindor common room to put all of our things away, Aspen lay down on her bed and sighed. I sat down next to her and started to run my fingers through her hair. "What's the matter?" I asked sweetly, looking into her eyes.

"Nothing, I'm just tired. I never realized how boring life is without you guys!" Aspen sighed, being overdramatic as ever.

"Way to express your feelings in the dramatic way!" I laughed. She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

We heard footsteps coming up the stairs and we automatically looked over, not wanting to be caught talking about random things. It was Raine and her evil cohort Chloe. We stood up and put defiant faces on. Raine turned to Chloe and laughed. "Oh look, Chlo's, the Weird Sisters are having their annual dork fest!" she said scathingly, keeping her eyes on us for any sign of annoyance.

"Oh look, Aspen, it's the girl that has no friends and her cohort that she roped into following her!" I countered. Raine stepped up to me, anger etched on every corner of her face. "What? Are you going to hurt me?" I asked, knowing that she wouldn't bother.

"I just might! And look, just because you think that you're better than us because you have a famous family, don't bother! Everyone hates you and they could care less about who you are related to!" she spat, knowing that I was going to slap her for it. I raised my hand, but felt Aspens cold fingers wrap around my wrist. I looked back at her and she just shook her head.

"She's not worth it! And anyway, what will that prove? That you have a bad temper?" Aspen said, making a valid point.

"It may not prove anything, but it'll make me feel better!" I hissed back at her, wrenching my wrist from her hands. Aspen narrowed her eyes, but didn't dare say a word, which was a good thing on her part.

"Yeah. Listen to your buddy, Lestrange. Doesn't it make you feel worthless?" Chloe said mean spiritedly. I narrowed my eyes at Chloe, something that I hadn't ever done and then turned away from them. Not looking anyone in the eye.

XoXo

_Snow White is doing dishes again cause  
What else can you do  
With seven itty-bitty men?  
Sends them to bed and calls up a friend  
Says will you meet me at midnight?  
The tall blonde lets out a cry of despair says  
Would have cut it myself if I knew men could climb hair  
I'll have to find another tower somewhere and keep away from the windows_

I sat down at the Gryffindor table and hunched my shoulders. Fred and James were sitting down, stuffing their faces, as usual. I looked at them, disgust written on every corner of my face. James looked up and smiled at me, food leaking out of his mouth. "Ew! You disgusting pig!" I shrieked. James started to laugh and even more food came out of his mouth.

"James! Put it away!" Victoire scolded him, pushing his hair off his forehead like his mother would. I sniggered at that, along with Fred and Aspen.

"Yeah, Jamie! Put it away!" Fred sneered. James grabbed his cousin and threatened to hit him. Victoire put her hands on her hips and Aspen laughed behind her hand. But then the two witches of the west came in, unless you don't know who they are. I've forgotten that I was raised by Muggles. Nevermind, back to the story.

"Look, Chloe, the weird family is at it again!" Raine said harshly, almost spitting in our faces.

"Aw. Isn't the family cute?" Chloe sneered. Raine let out a ringing laugh and Chloe followed her.

"Cute if you mean complete animals! Maybe they should be locked up in a cage so that the rest of us can benefit from their absolute barbarity!" Raine said, smirking at all of us. I stepped up to her with anger blazing in my cold eyes.

"Knock it off Raine! Just because you don't have a –"I was cut off by her own angry voice.

"Don't you dare say family! That will be cause for you to be hurt by my dear, darling brother!" she threatened, a harsh smile covering her lips.

"Is that a threat, Vondurri?"

"Wow, she _is_ as stupid as we thought, Chlos!"

"Shut up Vondurri! I _know_ that I am smarter than you!"

"Is that so, Lestrange? I believe that you have _no_ idea what the hell you are talking about!" I watched as Raine turned around, narrowing my eyes at her. Aspen looked at me with surprise written in her eyes.

"What was that about, Acacia?" Fred asked his eyes large with surprise.

"Nothing," I grumbled, sitting down and sulking.

"Liar!" James yelled angrily. "You _hate_ her! You've hated her ever since she made fun of you in the beginning of the year! But don't worry about it; won't Mummy be proud of you?" I narrowed my eyes at him and ground my teeth together.

"What? Are you telling me that you have never hated anyone?!" I shrieked angrily.

"No! No, I have not!" James hissed angrily.

I shook my head and then stalked away angrily. I couldn't listen to him and his perfect life anymore! But then I turned around and yelled back, "Whatever you say, James! You just can't deny that you have a perfect life!" I never got to find out if he heard me or not, since I walked straight out of the Great Hall as soon as I yelled that.

XoXo

_cause I don't care for your fairytales  
You're so worried about the maiden though you know  
She's only waiting on the next best thing_

_Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom  
Man made up a story said that I should believe him  
Go and tell your white knight that he's handsome in hindsight  
But I don't want the next best thing  
So I sing and hold my head down and I break these walls round me  
Can't take no more of your fairytale love_

I was still sulking on the sofa in the common room when the rest of my friends came through the hole in the wall. Fred and Aspen pulled James down onto the sofa, but he didn't seem too happy to be there. I just looked away and he didn't seem too disturbed when I did that. "James. What are you gonna say?" Fred urged him. James looked at me with anger clearly written on his face.

"I'm sorry, Acacia," he said through gritted teeth.

"That was so _not_ an apology. Now do it right!" Aspen said harshly, hitting him on the head.

"Ow! Fine! I'm sorry for arguing with you, do you forgive me, Acacia?" he apologized, sorry written into every corner of his face.

"Yes. And I'm sorry for giving into it!" I apologized back, sticking my hand out.

"What are we? Strangers? Come here!" He grabbed my arm and enveloped me into a huge bear hug. I smiled at him and then hugged him back, feeling warmer than ever. He knew just what to do when I was upset. "How was that for an apology?"

"The best one I've ever had! Not that I've had much," I said softly. James, Aspen and Fred all laughed. I was glad that I could make people laugh. Usually people only scowled at me when I said something out of turn. But these three were different. They didn't judge me on how much I was like my mother, they liked me for who I was and not for who I could be.

XoXo

_'cause I don't care for your fairytales  
You're so worried about the maiden though you know  
She's only waiting on the next best thing_

_I don't care  
I don't care  
Worry bout the maiden though you know  
She's only waiting spent the whole life being graded on the sanctity of patience and a dumb  
Appreciation  
But the story needs some mending and a better happy ending  
Cause I don't want the next best thing  
No no I don't want the next best thing_

I walked up the stairs, the last and final one of us all. I was ready for bed, but I have to admit, I missed sleeping at Aunt Andromeda's house. Everything seemed like it was happy-go-lucky there, here everything seemed so strung up on schoolwork and it seemed like we could never have any fun. I lay down on my bed, not bothering to turn on my pajamas and then fumbled for my diary. I pulled out a quill and the diary that had held all of my secrets ever since my eighth birthday. I started to write.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today we came back to Hogwarts. The magical school for Witches and Wizards. It's actually pretty fun. I miss Aunt Andromeda and hanging out with Teddy though, they have quickly become my family. The only family I have, though. I don't know what I would do without them, they treat me as though I was more closely related to them than I really am._

_Anyway, when we got back, I got to see Aspen again. I didn't realize how much I missed her. She has quickly become my sister in many ways. So again, anyway. James and I fought again today. We seem to be doing that more often. I don't know why, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. Aspen and Fred got him to apologize though, which was good. I really don't like fighting with him, anymore than I can imagine I would like to fight with Aspen. Which isn't very much._

_So that was all I had to say. _

_Again, tomorrow,_

_Acacia Grace Lestrange_

XoXo

**So there you go. I hope you liked it! I will definitely be continuing this one! Remember, read and review!**

**-Ed**


	18. Boston

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Hey, everybody. I just wanted to say that I lost interest in their first year, but I'm going strong with their second year! I'm taking this one a little bit slower, which might help and as such, here I go. Read, Review and Enjoy!**

_In the light of the sun, is there anyone? Oh it has begun...  
Oh dear you look so lost, eyes are red and tears are shed,  
This world you must've crossed... you said..._

I was at King's Cross once more, Mistress Caroline had just dropped me off at the station, figuring that I probably knew where I was going as I had done the same thing the previous year. I looked around for James and Fred and their families. I knew that Rose and Albus were coming this year, something that James could hardly contain his excitement for.

I was dying to see the three of my friends, seeing as we had only corresponded with letters over the summer. I had so much to talk about, mainly the fact that I had only realized how much I missed them, but what else am I expected to talk about? I finally saw James and Fred and bounded over to them. I hugged James as hard as I could and I heard him laugh. "Hey, Acacia, I missed you too," he laughed when he hugged me back.

"Glad to know I'm not the only one!" I smiled. I ran over to Fred and hugged him too.

"Hey. Have you seen Aspen anywhere?" he asked as soon as I let him go. I looked up at him with my blue eyes icy and pouted.

"What? You don't even care that I'm here?" I was being childish, I knew that, but I didn't care. It hurt me that Fred cared more about Aspen than me.

"Of course I do. But now that I've seen you, I want to know if you've seen Aspen," he replied slowly, as though I was an idiot.

"Oh, well, in that case. No, I haven't," I said, putting on a happy front but still hurt that he cared more about Aspen. I looked down at my waist, which was being attacked by a certain Rose Weasley and smiled. "Hey, Rosie, are you excited?"

"Am I ever! I could hardly wait until my letter came! You have absolutely no idea!" she laughed, looping my arm into hers. I laughed along with her and just had to agree. I did have no idea, seeing as my letter had come from Professor McGonagall, not an owl. "So, are we going to go on the train, or what?"

"Aren't we going to see if your mother wants to see you off first?" I asked, knowing that she did as every mother did.

"I guess so, but then can we go on the train?"

"Sure."

"Promise?"

"Sure, I promise. Don't worry. We'll get on the train in—oof!" I felt arms wrap around my own and then a warm voice in my ear.

"Acacia!" I heard Aspen scream into my ear. I wheeled around. There was my best friend, Aspen Green!

"Aspen!" I screamed back. We hugged harder than I've ever hugged anyone before and then felt four more arms wrap around the both of us. It was James and Fred.

"See, I told you that she's here!" James said triumphantly and I watched as Fred stuck his tongue out and then hugged Aspen separately.

"Hey, Green," he said with a huge smile. Aspen smiled back at him and then turned to James.

"Hey, James," she said, smiling and walking over to him. James smiled back and hugged her. We all looked at each other one final time and walked to our compartment.

XoXo

_You don't know me, you don't even care, oh yeah,  
She said  
You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains... oh yeah,_

Essential yet appealed, carry all your thoughts across  
An open field,  
When flowers gaze at you... they're not the only ones who cry  
When they see you  
You said...

When we were all sitting down, James got up and walked away, trying to find something interesting to do so that he wasn't bored the entire train ride. He came running back with excitement written on his face and panting heavily. He looked at me and then smiled. "What?" I asked, trying to figure out what the hell could be so interesting that he was so excited about.

"I just saw Teddy, _your_ Teddy, kissing Victoire, _my_ Victoire!" he said breathlessly. I gasped and then he pulled me up out of my seat.

"Where are we going?" I asked, trying not to laugh at the image of James bursting into Teddy and Victoire's goodbye kiss.

"To tell mum and dad! Come on!" I was pulled roughly off the train and then we ran into his mum and dad. "Mum! Dad! You'll never guess what happened!"

"What?" Harry asked with a smile.

"I just saw Teddy snogging Victoire! Our Victoire!" he said excitedly again. Ginny and Harry laughed again and then ruffled his hair. James scowled and then put it back to where it had been before his father unceremoniously ruffled it. Harry looked over and saw a tall man with pale blond hair and a pinched face and scowled.

"What is it dad?" Albus asked, looking in the direction his father was looking.

"Now, if I ever catch you talking with that boy, I will make sure to disown you," Ron said to Rose. Rose scowled at her father and stalked off onto the train. Ron looked at his wife and shrugged.

James and I turned to Ginny and Harry and waved goodbye. Ginny turned to me and kissed my forehead. "Have a good term you two! And don't forget, Acacia, you're welcome to come to our house for Christmas again!" she said with a smile, waving us goodbye.

XoXo

_You don't know me, you don't even care, oh yeah,  
She said  
You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains... oh yeah,_

We sat back down in our compartment and looked at Fred and Aspen who looked as though we had just broken up a conversation. "Carry on with your conversation!" James said, waving his hand in a haughty manner.

"We have nothing to talk about anymore!" Aspen said stiffly. I laughed and James scowled, knowing that he didn't win.

"That is such a lie!" James screeched, sitting down next to me. Aspen, Fred and I all laughed but then shut up as soon as we saw his face.

"Oh, would you give it up, James. You can't win everything!" Fred said, rolling his eyes. James scoffed, crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes back at his cousin.

"What is this? A rolling of the eyes competition?" I asked. Aspen laughed and gave me a high five. Fred and James just looked at each other.

The compartment door opened and Rose and Albus walked in along with the pale boy that I saw on the platform. Rose sat down in between me and James and Albus sat down next to Fred, leaving the blond to find his own seat. "Who are you?" James sneered. The boy looked at him with a superior look in his eyes.

"I am Scorpius Malfoy. Perhaps you have heard of me. I know I have heard of you. Potter," he sneered back. I almost choked on the bottle of water I was drinking when I heard his name. He was my cousin. My cousin Malfoy. What cruel senders of fate would have made this possible?

"Yeah. I've heard of your stinking rat of a father!" James retorted. I sunk a little lower in my seat and Aspen shot me a look. I shook my head silently.

"Well, what about your father?! It's because of him that half of my family is dead!" Scorpius practically screamed.

"It's not my fault they were on the wrong side!"

"They weren't on the wrong side! They were just a little jaded on what was right!"

"Ooh, jaded. Isn't that a little bit of a big word for a runt like you to use?"

"Shut up, Potter!"

"Not before you, Malfoy!"

"Oh, whatever!" I could feel Scorpius' eyes slide over me and then come back. I looked up and watched as his pale eyes came back over me. "And who are you?" he asked in his slippery way.

"No one. I am absolutely no one!" I said quickly, a little too quickly.

"No you're not! You're Acacia Grace Lestrange!" Rose said loudly, trying to imitate me.

"Rose!" I said exasperatedly.

"_You're_ a Lestrange?" the Malfoy asked as though I was dirt beneath his fingernails.

"Yes, I am! Do you have a problem that I haven't exactly lived up to your aunt's _potential_?!" I spat.

"Yeah. How she ever managed to have dirt like you, I'll never know!" He laughed at that, probably going on whatever his precious mother had told him. I scowled and looked at James who looked absolutely mutinous. I couldn't believe that this little runt had called me dirt when I was higher then him. Everyone knows that Lestranges are worth more than Malfoys.

"Why don't you shut up Malfoy? This girl is better than you in every single way imaginable!" James spat back at Malfoy.

"Oh, I'm sure. But I'm also sure that just because she's a Gryffindor, and disgracing the entire Black line, doesn't mean that she's better than me!" Malfoy hissed as his stalked out of the compartment.

I looked at Rose with disgust written on my face and then back at James. "Thanks," I said with a small smile.

"No problem," he said back, pushing Rose out of the seat and hugging me.

"Ow! James!" Rose screeched.

"Oh, you'll get over it, Rosie!" he smiled.

_She said I think I'll go to Boston...  
I think I'll start a new life,  
I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name,  
I'll get out of California, I'm tired of the weather,  
I think I'll get a lover and fly em out to Spain...  
I think I'll go to Boston,  
I think that I'm just tired  
I think I need a new town, to leave this all behind...  
I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset,  
I hear it's nice in the Summer, some snow would be nice... oh yeah,_

_Boston... where no one knows my name... yeah  
Where no one knows my name...  
Where no one knows my name...  
Yeah Boston...  
Where no one knows my name.  
_


	19. The Middle

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Hey, everybody. I just wanted to say that I lost interest in their first year, but I'm going strong with their second year! I'm taking this one a little bit slower, which might help and as such, here I go. Read, Review and Enjoy!**

Rose looked up at her cousin with narrowed eyes and her lips pursed angrily. James smiled back at her and then looked at me. I looked at Aspen, but she was talking animatedly to Fred, which explained the chattering in the background. Obviously she had much more to say to him than me. Which, yeah, hurt me a little bit, but she had liked him since first year, so she deserved the time alone with him. I looked back at James and smiled at him. He looked back out the compartment door and saw Scorpius skulking outside. "Should I apologize to the little punk?" he asked me, almost standing up.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "No. He insulted both of us and he deserves to just sulk outside," I sighed.

"But that seems like a harsh move!"

"He insulted me! I can't take it! He insulted me and you, he doesn't care about us!" As I said this, Albus stood up and opened the door.

"What are you doing Al?" Rose asked from where she was sitting.

"Hey, Scorpius. Do you want to come in and sit with us for a little while?" Albus asked sweetly. I looked up at James with a look of shock written on my face and I knew that his look mirrored mine.

James gripped his brother's arm and turned him around. "What are you doing!? You're inviting a _Malfoy_ to come sit with us!" James hissed into his Albus's face.

"Listen. Just because he's a Malfoy doesn't mean that we have to hate him too!" Rose said, standing up to her cousin.

"Guys. I can hear you!" Scorpius said harshly. Then he turned to me, his grey eyes boring into my own blue ones. "And don't worry, Acacia is it? My mother knows about you. I sent her a letter about you."

"Why would you do that?!" I screeched. If my aunt knew about me, they would quickly figure out that I was in Gryffindor, which would cause me to have to go live with them! Because Aunt Narcissa was my mother's closest friend. That sounds kind of ridiculous coming from her, but I swear that Aunt Narcissa was closer to my mother than any one else was!

"Because she's my grandmother! But you wouldn't know such a thing would you? Your mother is dead isn't she?" Scorpius sneered.

"Yes. But at least that let's me choose what I want to do with my life! I don't have to worry about following in the footsteps of anyone else, do I?" I stood up and stalked out of the compartment. A little bit of a song that Fred was playing on his guitar whispering after me.

"_Hey,  
Don't write yourself off yet.  
It's only in your head you feel left out,  
Or looked down on.  
Just try your best,  
Try everything you can.  
And don't you worry what they tell themselves  
When you're away._

[Chorus]  
It just takes some time,  
little girl, you're in the middle of the ride.  
Everything, everything will be just fine,  
Everything, everything will be alright. (alright)

Hey,  
You know they're all the same.  
You know you're doing better on your own, (on your own)  
So don't buy in.  
Live right now.  
Yeah, just be yourself.  
It doesn't matter if it's good enough (good enough)  
For someone else.

[Chorus x2]

Hey, don't write yourself off yet.  
It's only in your head you feel left out, (feel left out)  
Or looked down on.  
Just do your best, (just do your best)  
Do everything you can. (do everything you can)  
And don't you worry what their bitter hearts (bitter hearts)  
Are gonna say."

I sat down on the floor outside of our compartment and just sulked for a little while, waiting for someone to find me. No one did.


	20. IGATRIMEANOMF

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Hey, everybody. I just wanted to say that I lost interest in their first year, but I'm going strong with their second year! I'm taking this one a little bit slower, which might help and as such, here I go. Read, Review and Enjoy!**

_You're a canary,  
I'm a coal mine,  
'Cause sorrow is just all the rage.  
Take one for the team.  
You all know what I mean._

I looked up as soon as I heard a compartment door open and saw feet standing in front of me. I saw James and his concerned face looking back leeringly at me. "You okay?" he asked concernedly, only with a smile on his face.

"I'm fine. Just don't want to spend any more time with my rotten cousin," I laughed, keeping my eyes on him as he sat down next to me. "Why are you out here?"

"I couldn't spend anymore time with two of our best friends chatting away, so I decided to come and find you," he said, keeping a straight face and looking me straight in the eyes. I finally burst out into laughter and couldn't stop. "What's so funny?"

"Are you serious right now?" I spluttered. He nodded solemnly. "What are they talking about and why am I the better choice?"

"They're talking about stuff they did over the summer and I didn't think you'd be so petty! I'm sorry for being incorrect!" He stood up and started to walk away. I grabbed his arm instinctively, stood up and then pulled him back down.

"That's not a sign for you to get up and leave! I want you to stay, I was just asking," I smiled as a tall, handsome third year tripped over my feet. "I'm so sorry!" I apologized fervently, looking into his striking green eyes.

"It's fine. I'm not hurt, am I?" he smiled a dazzling smile in my direction. I smiled back and shook my head. "Well, I'm sorry I can't stay to fall some more, but I must be getting back to my compartment, if you don't mind. Goodbye the both of you!"

I watched as he made his way away from James and I. I looked over and James and he was on the verge of scoffing, but graciously stopped himself from doing it. "You wouldn't happen to know who that was, would you?" I asked dazedly with a goofy smile on my lips. James unceremoniously shook his head.

"You don't know who that is do you?" James asked, one of the corners of his mouth turning up ever-so-slightly.

"Obviously not, otherwise I wouldn't have asked who that was!" I said as though he was an idiot, which he was.

"That's Tristan Riddle," he said slowly. I felt my eyes widen. "Don't worry. No relation to the Tom Riddle, who is actually your father!"

"Good. How bad would it be if I thought my older brother was really hot!?" I asked, laughing at James face.

"Pretty bad!" James laughed as we walked back to the compartment. Now that we had aired ourselves off from the annoyances of our cousins, we were ready to go back in and talk to our friends.

XoXo

_And I'm so sorry,  
But not really.  
Tell the boys where to find my body.  
New York eyes,  
Chicago thighs,  
Pushed up the window to kiss you off._

When we stopped at Hogwarts, Albus, Rose and Scorpius all jumped out of the compartment and over to where the large groundskeeper was. James ran after Albus and grabbed his hand. "Don't forget that you have tea with Hagrid on Tuesday!" I heard him say. Albus nodded and gave his brother a hug. I saw James stiffen for a second, but then relax and hug his brother back. "Don't fall into the water okay, bud?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about me, James!" Albus said excitedly, running after Rose and Scorpius.

"Don't worry, Al. It's not you I'm worried about," he said expertly, walking over to me. "Come on, Acacia! They have a carriage waiting for us!"

I looked over at where Fred and Aspen were standing. It was a carriage that seemed to be able to pull itself. I kept staring at it, but then James pulled me along and I had no choice but to follow him. This place was crazy, but like so many others before me, it was my first and only real home. "You guys couldn't have taken any more time could you?" Aspen complained, patting the seat next to her.

"Oh, yes we could have! Want to see?" James asked, getting into the carriage at an insanely slow pace. But then the carriage lurched forward and he fell on his face into the carriage. The rest of us burst out laughing as he picked himself up off the ground. "That was supposed to happen!"

"Sure it was. Just get up here you loon!" Fred said, grabbing his cousin's collar and hoisting him into the seat next to him.

"I was planning on doing that anyway! You don't have to rush me!" James said, smoothing his long hair down and straightening his robes. We laughed at that also and then waited out the rest of the ride to Hogwarts.

XoXo

_The truth hurts worse,  
Than anything I could bring myself to do,  
To you.  
The truth hurts worse,  
Than anything I could bring myself to do,  
To you._

Do you remember the way,  
I held your hand,  
Under the lamppost,  
And ran,  
Ohh, this way so many times,  
I could close my eyes.

_The truth hurts worse,  
Than anything I could bring myself to do,  
To you.  
The truth hurts worse,  
Than anything I could bring myself to do,  
To you._

The truth hurts worse,  
Than anything I could bring myself to do,  
To you.  
The truth hurts worse,  
Than anything I could bring myself to do,  
To you.

The truth…

The truth…

Ohhh…_  
_

**A/N: Okay, so this one was lame too, but you've met someone new. Tristan Riddle! Don't worry; we'll hear more from him later. And I just want to keep the suspense up! Read and Review because you know it makes my day!**

**-Ed**


	21. The Sorting

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Hey, everybody. I just wanted to say that I lost interest in their first year, but I'm going strong with their second year! I'm taking this one a little bit slower, which might help and as such, here I go. Read, Review and Enjoy!**

When we saw the large turrets and the dark shadow of Hogwarts we all ceased our incessant chatter and looked out the window. Aspen was crouched above my shoulder; James was pressing against me, his warmth cascading over me; I was between the seat and the window and Fred had his nose pressed to the glass. But then we all looked away and James cleared his throat. "This year we have to promise not to fight over stupid things," he looked directly at me as he said this. "We have to make the best pranks that this school has ever seen and we all have to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" James had a huge smile on his face as he said this. We all looked at him with our eyebrows raised and questions written evidently on our faces.

"Why the Quidditch team?" Aspen asked with disgust, her blonde hair whipping around her face as the carriage door was opened and her blue eyes were narrowed. Everyone knew that she absolutely hated playing any sports at all; she was more of a book worm.

"Because imagine if we were all on the Quidditch team! Even if you don't like it, it would still be epic!" Fred said with a smile. Aspen rolled her eyes and jumped out of the carriage.

"I still don't understand why we can't join Charms Club or something like that!" Aspen said matter-of-factly, trying to assert her smartness on us.

"Well, I think it would be fun!" I interjected with a smile, nudging her in the ribs. "Just try out, please?"

"Fine! But I know all the reasons why you guys want to join and I think that they are completely mental!" Aspen looked at all three of us individually and her eyebrows were raised dangerously high as we walked into the castle.

"Oh, really? And what are they, Miss Green?" James said skeptically, turning around to look at her.

"They would be that you want to prove that you can live up to your father," James nodded solemnly and fell silently. "Fred's is so that he can prove to his father that he is like his deceased uncle," Fred nodded solemnly and refused to meet anyone's eyes. "And yours," she looked at me with those large blue eyes, "yours is that you want to be as different from your mother as you possibly can be so trying out for the team would be a breath of fresh air. She would never do that."

I looked at her with solemn eyes and nodded. She had a smug little smile on her face and turned to sit down. I hated her for the fact that she could read us all so well, but I loved her for the fact that she didn't even have to blink to tell us things that we didn't even know ourselves.

We all turned as soon as we saw the great doors swing open widely. We watched as the new first years all filed in. Rose and Albus waved and smiled at us and Scorpius just had his pointed nose pointed towards where Professor McGonagall was standing. I looked at James and he smirked at me, and then turned to face me completely. He pulled out a piece of parchment from his back pocket and signaled if I had a pen. I nodded and pulled one out. We passed notes like that until we heard Scorpius' name called. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat said loudly. James gasped and dropped the pen he was writing with and I looked over at my cousin. He had a smirk on his face and was sliding over to where we were sitting.

"Hello Potter and my cousin," he said snidely. James gave him a disgusted look and I half smiled. But then Albus' name was called and we looked up again. Without missing a beat, the hat called Gryffindor. Albus sidled over to us and took a seat next to me; I ruffled his hair with a smile and then turned to watch the sorting again. Rose was finally called and put into Gryffindor, not a surprise there. We all clapped as was customary and then started into our feast.


	22. Someday

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Hey, everybody. I just wanted to say that I lost interest in their first year, but I'm going strong with their second year! I'm taking this one a little bit slower, which might help and as such, here I go. Read, Review and Enjoy!**

_You can go  
You can start all over again  
You can try to find a way to make another day go by  
You can hide  
Hold all your feelings inside  
You can try to carry on when all you want to do is cry_

I quickly realized after the sorting that it doesn't really matter how much I hate someone, they will always come into my life at some point. Take for instance my cousin, Scorpius Malfoy, he was sorted into Gryffindor. How the heck does that work out?! And another time was when we were all starting on the feast and the wonderful duo Raine and Chloe decided to pop into my life. Again! Maybe this doesn't happen to you, but it sure does happen to me and I would wish anything to make it stop! As soon as I started to think those things, Raine burst my bubble with her annoying presence. "Hey, Acacia. How was your summer?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice.

"What do you care, _Raine_?" I asked harshly, narrowing my eyes and looking at her straight in the face.

"Aw. Don't be so touchy," Chloe spat at me. Aspen rounded to her and looked as though she could slap the both of them in the face. But I looked at her and discreetly shook my head, at which time she turned back to her food and stabbed moodily at a piece of steak-and-kidney pie.

"Anyway. We came over here to congratulate Scorpius on getting into Gryffindor, not to talk to you simpletons," Raine said harshly. I narrowed my eyes but gestured for her to get on with it.

James raised his eyebrow with questions written evidently on his face, but didn't say a word. I just looked down at my plate and stabbed a potato with my fork. It helped that I didn't lose my temper with her, but she was still as annoying as a fly buzzing around your head would be. I looked at Rose who looked like she was about to fall asleep. She smiled at me, but then looked down at her own plate. I then looked at the head table and saw McGonagall staring at me. I knew that this should be weird, but for some reason it wasn't. There had to be a reason she was staring at me, and it would eventually get out. Someway or another.

XoXo

_And maybe someday  
We'll figure all this out  
Try to put an end to all our doubt  
Try to find a way to make things better now and  
Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud  
We'll be better off somehow  
Someday_

We had finished with the feast and were walking back to the common room, when someone clutched my hand. I turned around and there was the guy I had seen on the train. What was his name? T-T-T-Tristan! That was it! He looked at me and smiled. I looked into his green eyes and I automatically got lost in them. "You never told me your name," he said sweetly, while trying to be mysterious.

"Maybe I don't want random tripping thirteen-year-olds to know my name," I said just as sweetly. He raised an eyebrow and then laughed. James heard him and looked back, glaring at the both of us. I shrugged and then looked back at Tristan. "Your hand is cold!" I said as I ripped it from his grasp. He shrugged and then went back to trying to weasel my name out.

"But, if you don't tell me your name, how can I call you by it?" he said expertly.

I shrugged and smiled at him. "I guess you can't." He pouted and then walked away.

"Maybe another day then," he said hopefully.

"Maybe," I answered, turning away and then sidling up to James. "Are you going to do that every time a random guy comes up to me and talks to me?" I asked, shoving him with my arm. He smiled and shook his head.

"That wasn't just any guy, Acacia. That was Tristan!" James pouted, looking at me with his stunning blue eyes. I just raised my eyebrows and wondered why he was being so petty. "I thought you said that you weren't going to mess around with him."

"James! I'm twelve! What do you want me to do?! _He_ came up to _me_! Not everything is my fault!" I yelled, making people turn their heads. I paid no attention to that and just stared straight into his eyes.

"All right. We're going against the promise we made this morning. How about if he comes up to you again, you talk and I won't be offended, okay?" James said, trying to make a deal out of this.

"No! You're not going to be possessive of me! I am Acacia Lestrange and I can do whatever the hell I want!" I said sternly, my mother pouring out of every pore in my body. He took a step back and I just walked up to where Aspen, Fred, Albus and Rose were walking/

XoXo

_Now wait  
And try to find another mistake  
If you throw it all away then maybe you can change your mind  
You can run, oh  
And when everything is over and done  
You can shine a little light on everything around you  
Man it's good to be so warm_

We stepped into the common room and immediately sat down on the warm couches in front of the fire. James was the last one in and it looked like he was sorry for what he had said before. I guess he still didn't know that just because I was twelve and a girl, that didn't mean that I couldn't make my own decisions. He sat down next to me and I just folded my arms in front of my chest and refused to look at him. "Acacia?" he asked in a small voice, that's when I knew he was sorry. I finally turned to look at him and he smiled at me. "Can we talk?"

"We can talk here, yes. But I'm not going anywhere else to talk!" I spat. He nodded and then sat cross-legged on the couch.

"Fine. That's fine. Um, I know it was wrong of me to say that we could make a deal out of it, and I just wanted to apologize. Do you forgive me?" he asked, his voice returning to a normal twelve-year-olds.

"Sure. Just as long as you promise not to make anymore stupid remarks like that again," I said, finally turning to look at him. He smiled and nodded. And then Aspen and Fred decided to start a chant along with Albus and Rose.

"Hug! Hug! Hug! Hug!" they said over and over again until we finally did. We hugged for five seconds and then looked at Albus, Scorpius and Rose.

"What are you three still doing up? Go to bed!" James said sternly. Albus opened his mouth and started to make a reply.

"You're only a year older than us! Why do you get to stay up later?!" he complained. James rolled his eyes and then made another snappy remark.

"Because we're a year older! Just go to bed and everything will be okay, all right Al?" James said smoothly. I had to hand it to him; he knew how to calm his brother down. Albus and Scorpius begrudgingly turned around and marched up the stairs.

"You're horrible!" Rose said angrily as she marched up the other set of stairs.

"Way to get everyone against you, James!" I said with a laugh. James smirked and nodded.

"That's what my life is for, Acacia!" James said laughingly. Everyone started to laugh at that.

Aspen yawned then and decided it was time to go to bed. I followed her, because I was starting to get tired again. James stared after us and then went to bed too. I quickly undressed and then pulled my pajamas on, laughing with Aspen the entire time. I then crawled into my bed, pulling the covers over my body, sending warmth to tingle down the length of my body. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I realized how tired I was. I fell asleep quickly and easily.

XoXo

_And i don't want to wait  
I just want to know  
I just want to hear you tell me so  
Give it to me straight  
Tell it to me slow_

_Cause maybe someday  
We'll figure all this out  
We'll put an end to all our doubt  
Try to find a way to just feel better now and  
Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud  
We'll be better off somehow  
Someday_

_[x2]  
Cause sometimes we don't really notice  
Just how good it can get  
So maybe we should start all over  
Start all over again_


	23. Paralyzer

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, which is lame! I don't own the lyrics either! My life is lame! They're Finger Eleven's and the song is called Paralyzer! **

**So I feel the need to say this, I have twenty-three chapters! The longest I've ever had on a single story! Ever!**

XoXo

_I hold on so nervously  
To me and my drink  
I wish it was cooling me  
But so far, has not been good  
It's been shitty  
And I feel awkward, as I should  
This club has got to be  
The most pretentious thing  
Since I thought you and me  
Well I am imagining  
A dark lit place  
Or your place or my place_

I woke up on September 2nd with the sun pushing its way through my open curtains. It took me a little while to remember where I was, but as soon as I did, I jumped out of my bed and ran to my trunk. I pulled the robes that were laid on the chair beside my bed on and ran my fingers through my long hair. I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste and bounded down the stairs two at a time. The lavatories were full of giggle sixth and seventh years, including Victoire. I saw her long blonde hair and went over to her, hugging her around her waist. She looked down and let out a warm laugh.

"Hey, stranger. What are you doing up?" she asked warmly, hugging me back. I laughed and then glared at her when she ruffled my hair. "Hey! What is that look for?" Her normally warm green eyes were now filled to the brim with questioning and I saw a little bit of hurt and pain.

"You messed my hair up!" I grumbled, doing my famous pout. She turned away and made the mascara in her hand fly onto her eyelashes. She then ran her brush though her long, yellow silk. I looked up at Victoire and intently watched her methods of getting ready for the day. She turned her gaze back to me and smiled, handing me her brush. "What's the brush for?" I asked, taking the brush from her.

"Since I messed your hair up, fix it," she replied, inspecting me as I inspected the brush. It was beautiful!

"Where did you get this?" I whispered, in awe of the beautiful thing in my hands.

"I got it for my birthday from mum and dad," she said with a small smile. "They decided that I was old enough to take care of it, so they let me have my mother's brush. It's a family heirloom."

"Really?! That's so cool! I kind of wish my parents were alive so that I could have something like that," I smiled. She smiled sadly at that and then patted me on the head. "What's wrong?"

"Don't wish your mother alive, she caused much more havoc then it was worth," she said, walking out of the lavatory with me.

"But how do I know that she wasn't corrupted and changed into thinking that?"

"Because she wasn't. It was all choice!"

"But how do I know?!"

"Just trust on me on this!"

"No! I can't! I have to believe that there was some good in her; otherwise I would be a traitorous daughter! Just leave me alone and let me think what I want! I'm tired of people saying that she was evil! What if she wasn't!?" I stormed away with anger burning in every atom of my being and I could feel hot tears stinging my eyes. I sank down on a chair and let the sobs over take me. A song played in my head over and over again.

"_Well I'm not paralyzed  
But, I seem to be struck by you  
I want to make you move  
Because you're standing still  
If your body matches  
What your eyes can do  
You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you_

I hold out for one more drink  
Before I think  
I'm looking too desperately  
But so far has not been fun  
I should just stay home  
If one thing really means one  
This club will hopefully  
Be closed in three weeks  
That would be cool with me  
Well I'm still imagining  
A dark lit place  
Or your place or my place

Well, I'm not paralyzed  
But, I seem to be struck by you  
I want to make you move  
Because you're standing still  
If your body matches  
What your eyes can do  
You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you

Well, I'm not paralyzed  
But, I seem to be struck by you  
I want to make you move  
Because you're standing still  
If your body matches  
What your eyes can do  
You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you

I'm not paralyzed  
But, I seem to be struck by you  
I want to make you move  
Because you're standing still  
If your body matches  
What your eyes can do  
You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you

You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you

You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you"


	24. No Fear

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, which is lame! I don't own the lyrics either! My life is lame! They're The Rasmus' and the song is called No Fear! **

**So I feel the need to say this, I have twenty-three chapters! The longest I've ever had on a single story! Ever!**

XoXo

_Girl,  
You lived your life like a sleeping swan  
Your time has come  
To go deeper_

I looked up when I saw James standing in front of me. He blinked rapidly and his eyebrows were raised with half anger and half amusement. I turned away from him and pouted. I didn't want him to see me like this, again. It made me feel weak and all he did was stand there and smile. I hated it! "You okay?" he asked with a smile in his voice. I nodded, my head buried in hands. "You're lying. Again. What happened?"

"Nothing," I said defiantly. Not meeting his eyes. He sighed and then sat down next to me, pushing me with his shoulder. I smiled and then gave him a huge.

"Now are you going to tell me what happened?" he asked sweetly, being the normal James.

"Sure. I was in the lavatory with Victoire and she said something about my mother being evil and I kind of blew up and told her that I wanted to know why I couldn't think for myself and just believe that my mother had some good in her. And I ended up out here. How's that for an interesting story?" James smirked and rolled his eyes, pulling me up to my feet.

"Typical Acacia. Getting upset at nothing," James laughed. I mock-glared at him and then just stared laughing. He walked out of the common room with a huge grin on his face; I followed him, my voice ringing with laughter. We continued to walk down the corridor, but stopped when we heard loud, heavy footsteps ringing down on the stones of the hallway. It was our Herbology teacher and Head of House, Professor Neville Longbottom.

"Lestrange! Just who I wanted to see!" he panted, stopping as soon as he saw us. "Professor McGonagall wants to talk to you. As soon as possible!" I looked at James who shrugged and went back to looking bored. "That means now, Lestrange!" I nodded and took off down the hall, James jogging behind me, but then I remembered something. He never told us where to go!

We both turned around and ran into Longbottom's office, where he was sitting calmly, apparently hard at work. He looked up when we entered his door and then sighed noticeably. "Sorry, Professor," I said with sincerity. "We were only wondering where Professor McGonagall was."

"Oh, yes. You would need to know that," he said, nodding, "I believe that she is in the Great Hall. Just go that way, and if not, then check her office."

"But we're not allowed in there!" James said his eyes wide with excitement at possibly being allowed to go to McGonagall's office.

"Well, I give you permission if the need be. But, Potter! Before you leave, take you and Lestrange's schedules. You'll need them for the rest of the day!" James nodded and ran out of Longbottom's office. He came up to me, waving our schedules in the air. I smiled and took mine from him.

"No way! Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, and double Herbology for today, Wednesday and Fridays! This has got to be the best year ever!" James whooped excitedly, I nodded and laughed, stopping as soon as I saw McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall!" I yelled at her, running down the hall and stopping in front of her.

"Hello Lestrange, Potter. Missed you at breakfast this morning," she said politely, smiling a real smile down at us.

"Yes, well, we had a bit of a late start!" James said smoothly. She laughed at that and then looked at me with serious eyes.

"Lestrange. Your Aunt Narcissa will be here in an hour or two to meet you. You will be living with her now, she already contacted the orphanage and everything is arranged. You need to be presentable and respectable and look like your mother. I promise you that she will love you if you act and look like her eldest sister," McGonagall said seriously. My eyes widened and I felt my jaw drop. "Close your mouth, it is unbecoming. Listen, I know that this comes as a shock, but please, try to greet it with as much delight as you can possibly muster. I don't agree with this, but it is the way it must be."

"But what about Aunt Andy? Why can't she be my guardian?" I asked, attitude creeping into my voice.

"Your Aunt Narcissa believes that your mother would have wanted her closest sister to be your guardian. I couldn't sway her, I am sorry." I nodded and hung my head, tears gathering in my eyes. I refused to let them fall, I had cried too much over my family. They didn't deserve my tears! I turned away from McGonagall and hurried back to the common room with James on my tail.

XoXo

_Girl,  
Your final journey has just begun  
Your destiny chose the reaper_

I was sitting in Charms with Aspen beside me. We were passing notes beneath the desk and making sure that we looked like we were paying attention.

_Where were you this morning?-AG_

_I had to talk to Professor McGonagall about something-AL_

_Is something wrong?-AG_

_No. She just told me some interesting news about my family-AL_

_Oh, no. Let me guess. You have to live with the Malfoy's?-AG_

_How did you know?-AL_

_Just a lucky guess. But I heard that that Tristan lives with them-AG_

_Really?!-AL_

_Yeah, I could have guessed that that would have made your day. When are you meeting the Malfoys?-AG_

_Today, like in an hour or so. McGonagall said that she would come and tell me when she was here-AL_

_Bloody hell!! Flitwick is looking at us! Tell me more later, K?-AG_

We looked up and Flitwick was indeed looking at us. But Professor McGonagall was standing beside him. I sank down into my seat, but she just looked at me over her spectacles. "Lestrange! Up here, please!" he said, pointing at me. I nodded and stood up, walking over to where McGonagall and Flitwick were standing with my head down. McGonagall threw her arm over my shoulder and lead me out of the room.

"All right. You look presentable, you look fine and if you look good enough, you'll impress Narcissa. Now, go get them and don't worry about anything she says. She's just comparing you to her sister. All right? Okay, now come along." I followed McGonagall to a quaint little room that I didn't know existed.

A woman with long, pale blonde hair and a man that was obviously her son were waiting for me. They were both scowling and I couldn't help but shrink behind McGonagall's robes. "A timid little thing. That is one trait that would never be accepted by her mother! I can guarantee you that! She has the dark hair that was Bella's, Bella's face; she actually looks exactly like her mother! And, what house did you say she was in, Minerva?" she asked snidely, I could tell that I was going to hate this woman.

"Gryffindor, Narcissa. As I have told you multiple times!" McGonagall said through gritted teeth.

"Right, well. Is there anyway that we could changed that? I can't imagine any daughter of Bella actually wants to be in Gryffindor!" my aunt scoffed, not even looking at me. I looked at the man behind her and realized that Scorpius looked exactly like him. It had to be his father! I can't imagine that a Malfoy would be happy that his son got into Gryffindor!

"No, there is not, Narcissa. I'm sorry. And besides, I believe that your niece loves it in Gryffindor! She has even made three truly wonderful friends!" McGonagall said with a smile in my direction. It was a little strained, if I noticed correctly.

"Oh really? And who are these so-called friends of hers?" Narcissa asked coldly, looking straight at me with her harsh silver eyes.

"James Potter, Aspen Green and Fred Weasley!" I said proudly. "And yes, they are blood traitors and wonderful people, the lot of them!" My Aunt narrowed her eyes and walked out. Somehow I knew that wasn't the last I would see of her and I was kind of happy about that.

Kind of.

_No Fear  
Destination Darkness  
No Fear  
Destination Darkness  
No Fear_

Girl  
The rain falls down from the northern skies  
Like poisoned knives  
With no mercy

Girl  
Close your eyes for the one last time  
Sleepless nights  
From here to eternity

No Fear  
Destination Darkness  
No Fear  
Destination Darkness  
No Fear


	25. No Way Out

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, which is lame! I don't own the lyrics either! My life is lame! They're The Rasmus' and the song is called No Fear! **

XoXo

_F**kers it's settled  
All the train came trippin__g thru the station  
This mad hatter he was beaming at me  
You cool cat  
You think that you know me  
I'm not the same person that i used to be  
Your cards dealt your playing them wrong boy  
And there's a few things that you need to know  
I took the elevator up to the top  
And i followed that rabbit all down the hole_

I saw McGonagall out of the corner of my eye and yes, she was smiling at me. Not a tight, thin-lipped smile, no. It was a huge, teeth-showing smile. She was proud of me, and quite frankly, I was proud of me too! I had shown someone that I didn't even know that they weren't going to tell me what to do and who I could hang out with. "I'm proud of you, Acacia Lestrange. You have no idea," she said, walking out of the room with me.

"How hard do you think she is going to be to turn around?" I asked a smile on my own lips.

"What do you mean?"

"How long do you think it will be until she sees my side of things?" McGonagall nodded and thought for a little while.

"I think that it will be over the length of your life!"

I nodded and followed her to Defense Against the Dark Arts. I was excited to tell my friends about what had happened, but was a little scared that they would make fun of me for having to go talk to her. But then McGonagall stopped, looking serious now. "I don't want you to tell your friends about this meeting," she said, her face straight.

"Why not, Professor?" I asked my excited fizzling with eleven words.

"Because I don't want this to spread like wildfire through the school. It must be a quiet transition. The Weasley's, Teddy and Aspen may know that you are going to live with the Malfoy's, but they must keep it quiet and they must be the only ones!" she said, gripping my shoulders. I nodded and hung my head. "I know that this must be hard for you, but it is the way things must be. This won't be the end of your relationship with Fred, James and Aspen, I will make sure of that. But you might need to tone it down over the summer."

"But wait! This means that I won't get to see any of my orphan friends again!" I said, exasperatedly. McGonagall nodded and wrote out a note quickly.

"Give this to your teacher. Have a nice day, Lestrange!"

"You too, professor!"

XoXo

_I told my self i beli__eved it  
But who was i kidding  
Out of these eyes i could see it  
But it's all a lie the end is near i can feel it  
Ya it's coming around but know there's no doubt it's settled  
And there's no no way out no way out_

I walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts and handed the note to professor Stells and took my seat next to a Slytherin boy. I had never seen him before, but it was the only empty seat, other than next to Raine and I was _not_ going to sit next to her! He looked over and smiled. "Hi, I'm Dalton Ellis. I guess we're DADA partners this year," he smiled with dark green eyes and a mop of long blond hair.

"Acacia Lestrange, but you probably knew that already," I laughed, running my fingers through my long hair. He laughed and then pulled out a piece of parchment paper. "We're supposed to be taking notes, aren't we?" Dalton smiled and nodded, scratching on his paper furiously with his quill pen.

Professor Stells was talking in his monotone voice and he looked up when I said that. "Why yes, Miss Lestrange, we are to be taking notes to succeed in this class. But some people wouldn't know that because of their heritage would they?" he said harshly. I felt a blush creeping up my neck and looked down at my paper. Dalton smiled at me and shrugged.

"Don't worry. He's just jealous because everyone knows who you are, and not who he is," he said, trying to keep laughter out of his voice.

"Yeah. What a wonderful thing it is to be known because of your mother and not because of your own deeds," I said maliciously. Dalton's eyes widened and he set down his quill.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that everyone here knows who I am because of what my mother did and not because of what I know!"

"Isn't that how everyone's life is?" he asked knowingly.

"I guess."

"Exactly. Think of Harry Potter. He was known because his parents died, not because he was just a regular kid."

I opened my mouth to reply, but the bell rang at the moment, signifying the time to go to Potions.

_Switch got me caught up in a twister  
I'm skipping all down that yellow brick road  
I said to the tin man sorry can't help ya  
They ripped my heart out long time ago  
And now i'm feeling like the cowardly lion  
I wanna break out but i'm paralized  
The yellow bricks led me staright to the wizard  
He said it's all your state of mind_

_I told myself i believed it  
But who was i kidding  
Out of these eyes i could see it  
But it's all a lie  
The end is near i can feel it  
Ya it's comin around  
But now there's no doubt it's setteled_

_And there's no no way out  
And there's no no way out  
And there's no no way out  
And now there's no doubt it's settled  
And there's no no way out  
No way out ya oh oh oh_

_I told myself i believed it  
But who was i kidding  
Out of these eyse i could see it  
But it's all a lie  
The end is near i can feel it  
It's comin around and now there's no doubt it's settled  
There's no no way out_

_Now there's no way no way out x3_


	26. The Best Is Yet To Come

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, which is lame! I don't own the lyrics either! My life is lame! It's Michael Buble and the song is called The Best Is Yet To Come!**

XoXo

_Out of the tree of life, I just picked me a plum  
You came along and everything started to hum  
Still its a real good bet, the best is yet to come_

I walked into Potions and low and behold, Dalton was in that class too. He waved me over to sit next to him. I took my seat and smiled. "Looks like we'll be together a lot this year," I smiled. He laughed and nodded, taking out his things and setting them on the table. I looked back at James who was sulking. I looked at Dalton and then shrugged. "I'll be right back." He nodded insignificantly and I made my way to where James was. I sat down next to him and pushed him.

"So you decided to come back to your real friends?" he said moodily.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"He's a Slytherin. Slytherins are supposed to hate Gryffindors. Why is he different?" James sulked, giving Dalton a glare. I sighed, rolled my eyes and slammed my hand across the potions book in front of him.

"James. You're being a prat! Just because he's a Slytherin doesn't mean that I have to hate him. He's the only one other than you, Fred and Aspen that's been civil towards to me. Everyone else just assumes that they can treat me like rubbish because of my mother. Why do you have something against that?" I asked loudly, anger coursing through my body. He threw a half-smile at me and laughed.

"I guess you're right. I mean, he doesn't really have anything compared to me!" he said loudly. I raised an eyebrow and looked down at him.

"Really James? Is this really a time to be a conceited prat?" I asked, a smile playing on my lips. He nodded and continued to take his things out of his bag. I looked up and saw Slughorn coming into the room, his great belly preceding him into the room. I stood up and walked over to my seat and took my own things out of my bag.

"Sounds like he's really happy that you're hanging out with me!" Dalton smiled, looking at me. I smiled back and then laughed. "What? Did I say something?"

"No. He's just been really jealous lately," I said, frowning slightly.

"Oh, really? And how does a girl like you end up with a jealous Potter for a friend?" he asked knowingly.

"No idea," I said, looking up at the instructions that Slughorn had just wrote on the board.

XoXo

_The best is yet to come, and baby wont it be fine  
You think you've seen the sun, but you aint seen it shine_

Wait till the warm-up's underway  
Wait till our lips have met  
Wait till you see that sunshine day  
You aint seen nothin yet

The bell had rung and Dalton and I were walking out of it. I had Transfiguration next and I wasn't excited about that. Everyone knew that Professor Noore gave the most amount of homework out of all the teachers. I had hung back and was waiting for Aspen outside of the door. Dalton had waved bye and I felt an excited flutter in my stomach. "What is this? Acacia Lestrange, waiting for me? A lowly half-blood," Aspen said good-naturedly.

"Oh, no. Whatever would my mother say?" I joked, laughing along with her. Fred was walking behind us, a smile plastered onto his own face. "And where's your mate, Fred?" He stuck his tongue out at me and I stuck mine out back. It was good being back in their circle again. My arm was tucked carefully underneath Aspen's and Fred laughing behind us. If only James were here, then we would be the four people that everyone talked about.

"I don't know," Fred said seriously. "He left as soon as we were finished with Potions. Why?" I shrugged, knowing exactly why he wasn't talking to any of us.

We finally reached Transfiguration class and there was an empty seat next to James. I looked at Aspen and she nodded. I slid into the seat and smiled at him, but he completely ignored me. "What's up?" I asked, shoving him with my arm. He turned to me with his green eyes icy with hate.

"Oh, hi, Lestrange," he said coldly, not meeting my eyes. My eyes widened with surprise at the cold way he greeted me.

"What? Are we using last names now, _Potter_?" I said sarcastically. He nodded and then turned to face the board. "James. Come on. Are you seriously mad at me because of Dalton? Look, he's not here now. Fine! If that's the way you want to play, I'll play with you!" I felt as though I was talking to a brick wall, but if he wanted to spew rubbish like that, I could be twice the player he was!

XoXo

_The best is yet to come, and baby wont it be fine  
The best is yet to come, come the day your mine_

The best is yet to come  
Come the day your mine  
Oh come the day your mine  
I'm gonna teach you to fly  
We've only tasted the wine  
We're gonna drain that cup dry

Transfiguration had finished and I was sitting with Aspen and Fred at the lunch table. I was picking at my soup moodily, sneaking glances at James. He was talking and laughing with Raine and Chloe, probably just to make me angry. But I can tell you this; it sure as hell was working. How dare he talk to my mortal enemy just because it would make me mad? "Hey, Acacia, are you okay? You're not eating," Aspen said concerned, patting my hand.

I nodded and then went back to picking at my food. "I'm fine. Just thinking," I answered, lying straight through my teeth. Aspen nodded disbelievingly and then noticed that Fred had disappeared.

"Did you see where he went?" she asked, definitely worried about his well-being.

"No. But something gives me a good feeling that he's with James." She looked over at where James was sitting and smiled. "Hey. I'm gonna go up to the common room. Get some reading done. I'll be down at our next class. Don't bother waiting for me."

\

She nodded and watched me as I left.

_Wait till your charms are right, for the arms to surround  
You think you've flown before, but you aint left the ground_

Wait till you're locked in my embrace  
Wait till I hold you near  
Wait till you see that sunshine place  
There ain't nothin like it here

The best is yet to come, and baby wont it be fine  
The best is yet to come, come the day your mine  
Come the day your mine  
I've got plans for you baby  
And baby you're gonna fly


	27. Supermassive Black Hole

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, which is lame! I don't own the lyrics either! My life is lame! It's Muse and the song is called Supermassive Black Hole.**

XoXo

_Oh baby don't you know I suffer?  
Oh baby can't you hear me moan?  
You caught me under false pretences  
How long before you let me go?_

I was sitting in the common room, a book placed on my lap and the words swimming in front of me. I wasn't crying, or at least, if I was I had no idea of it yet. I was bouncing my leg up and down, my frustration threatening to burst out of me. I felt as though I was going to explode from the anger that was coursing through me. James was talking to Raine and Chloe. The James that I knew would never betray my trust like that! But James had changed, in barely twenty-four hours he had changed from the truth-seeking, kind and compassionate boy I had known to a jealous, angry and harsh boy that I knew now. What did I do?

I ran through everything that I could have done within the past twenty-four hours and wondered if anyone of those things were what had brought his wrath upon me. I had talked to Tristan last night and on the train, he was angry at me for that, maybe because he was a Slytherin and not just because he was older than the both of us. I had talked to Dalton a lot today and maybe that was another reason. But no, he couldn't be jealous of Dalton and Tristan. He knew that I was loyal to him, didn't he?

"Acacia?" Aspen's sweet voice came from the entrance to the common room. I looked up at her and smiled, feeling my lips strain at the effort of that simple move. "James wanted me to tell you that Quidditch tryouts are today at four. If you still want to try out for them."

"He can tell me himself," I snapped, watching her flinch and feeling an odd satisfaction at that simple move. I went back to sulking, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at the floor.

She moved her tiny, quick feet over to where I was sitting. She took a seat next to me, not even asking me permission if she could sit there or not. "I don't think you understand how much effort it takes to still be friends with you after all that you have put us through! You yell at us, you cry on us and you laugh with us! You don't get it do you?"

"Get what?" I snapped, glaring at her now. Her usually warm, pretty eyes were now harsh and ice-cold. I could feel heat rising up into my cheeks, a red flush covering the normally pale skin. "Am I really like her, Aspen? That much?" She nodded, anger leaving her face pale and tired out. She wasn't used to being angry, and for some reason I felt jealous of that.

"I'm going down to Herbology. Do you want me to tell Longbottom that you aren't going to be there, or are you coming down?" she asked coldly, not quite forgiving me. I wasn't worried, she'd come around sooner or later.

"I'm coming. Just let me get my things." She nodded and tapped her foot impatiently as I made my way up the stairs two at a time.

XoXo

_oooh...You set my soul alight  
oooh...You set my soul alight_

(oooh...You set my soul alight)  
Glacier's melting in the dead of night  
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive

(oooh...You set my soul alight)  
Glacier's melting in the dead of night  
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive

I made my way down the grounds, watching Aspen as her small frame lead the way a few feet in front of me. I knew she was right, somewhere deep in my mind I knew she was right. She didn't need to deal with me every day, every week for twenty-four hours a day. She and Fred and James had been grateful, but did that really matter? They only became friends with me out of pity, only because no one else felt like dealing with me. They could leave me alone in the dust any time they wanted! I would survive; I could survive anything if I really wanted to! Only, I wouldn't. I wouldn't be able to live without Aspen, James or Fred by my side.

"Welcome back, ladies," Longbottom said as we entered his classroom. There was one table left in the back, the seat next to James. Of course it would be directly next to James and of course it was the only seat left. I felt anger burn through my being and then sorrow. Why couldn't we be friends again?

"Acacia," he said coldly. I smiled and sat down, laying my bag on the table and preparing for one of Longbottom's long-winded classes.

"James," I said coolly, trying to match his tone and succeeding over and beyond. I was the Queen of Cool if anything else would be said about me.

"Look. I'm sorry," he apologized, catching me off guard. I blinked rapidly and just stared at him. "I'm sorry for being such a prat. You can talk to whoever you like; I guess I just want you to be happy. I saw how you watched me when I was talking to Raine and Chloe and I guess I realized that you are really unhappy without me around." He didn't say that proudly, just matter-of-factly. "Am I right?"

"Yes," I admitted unwillingly. "I didn't know what to do without you laughing and carrying on by my side." He smiled and then looked up at Longbottom, trying to make it seem as though he was paying attention. Longbottom cocked an eyebrow knowingly, but carried on anyway. I laughed and didn't pay attention for the rest of the class period.

XoXo

_I thought I was a fool for no-one  
Oh baby I'm a fool for you  
You're the queen of the superficial  
And how long before you tell the truth_

James, Aspen, Fred and I made our way up to the castle. We were heading to the Quidditch pitch for Gryffindor tryouts. I was excited as was James, whose excitement resounded away from him. Fred was just nonchalant about the whole thing and Aspen was resenting agreeing to this. We finally reached it and watched as the captain flew high up into the air and showed us a few tricks. James was bouncing on his heels and I had to admit that I was looking forward to this also.

"Now, I want you all to pay careful attention! You all need to show me how your keeping, beating, passing or seeking skills are. Those of you trying out for keeper make your way to the middle of the pitch." I made my way to the middle, leaving the comfort and safety of my friends. "Those of you trying out for beating make your way to left of the pitch!" Fred and James made their way to the left of the pitch, leaving Aspen alone by herself. She was pale, trembling and all over terrified of being alone. "Those of you trying out for passing, right side!" She made her way to the right side of the pitch, barely able to walk because of how hard she was shaking. I smiled at her and she smiled back, more like a grimace actually.

"All right, now. We will start out with Lestrange! Lestrange, mount your broom and make your way to the goal posts!" I did. And I was suddenly met by an onslaught of playing Quidditch. It was a wicked fast game, full of cheating, passing and quick flying and wits. Suddenly the Quaffle was on top of me and I managed to block it with my fingertips. Aspen was cheering from below, suddenly excited at being here. Another pass to the right side of the goal and the Quaffle was on my chest, beating it black and blue. Another few passes and I only missed one. Pretty good for an ickle second-year.

The captain put me into the changing room, making me wait with the others that had gone. I waited, shaking and wondering crazily for my results.

XoXo

_oooh...You set my soul alight  
oooh...You set my soul alight_

(oooh...You set my soul alight)  
Glacier's melting in the dead of night  
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive

(oooh...You set my soul alight)  
Glacier's melting in the dead of night  
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive  
(sucked into the supermassive)

I was bouncing my legs up and down in the common room the next night, awaiting my results along with Fred, James and Aspen. Then all of a sudden Dagan Laud, the Gryffindor captain, walked into the room carrying the list. I jumped up simultaneously with James, Fred and Aspen. We were one of the first ones there. I ran my finger up and down the list, looking for my name and then I found it. I made keeper!

"I made it!" I yelled, hugging James and Fred and Aspen simultaneously. I was finally excited; I had made it on the team! James screamed also and hugged me along with Fred, they had both made Beaters. We looked at Aspen, who looked perfectly impassive. "So? Did you make it?"

"Nope!" she said happily. We all laughed and hugged and screamed. The three of us had made it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team! We were Beaters and Keepers and everything in between! We were so excited I hardly believed that we would be able to sleep.

And then I saw the schedule. We had to wake up at six in the morning on a Saturday and practice until ten. I was not excited about that, but James and Fred shrugged. I sighed and walked to the sofas, talking and laughing with my three best friends all night.

XoXo

_Supermassive black hole  
Supermassive black hole  
Supermassive black hole  
Supermassive black hole  
ohhhhhhhhh ohhhhhhhh  
Glaciers melting in the dead of night  
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive_

Glaciers melting in the dead of night  
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive

(oooh...You set my soul alight)  
Glacier's melting in the dead of night  
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive

(oooh...You set my soul)  
Glacier's melting in the dead of night  
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive

Supermassive black hole  
Supermassive black hole  
Supermassive black hole  
Supermassive black hole


	28. Knights of Cydonia

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, which is lame! I don't own the lyrics either! My life is lame! It's Knights Of Cydonia by Muse!**

XoXo

_Come ride with me  
Through the veins of history  
I'll show you how god  
Falls asleep on the job_

I looked out the window at six o' clock on Saturday morning; a massive headache creeping up the sides of my head and my fly-away hair was all over the place. The sun was up and barely shining and I was blinking rapidly. Aspen was snoring quietly in the bed next to me and I finally left the warmth of my bed. I was shaking all over from nerves and the cold that was biting into my skin. I walked to my trunk and pulled out the robes that Dagan had given me the day earlier. "What are you doing?" Aspen asked from where she was laying.

"Shh. Go back to bed," I whispered, putting a finger to my lips. She nodded and rolled over, snoring within seconds and probably forgetting about our tiny conversation.

I sighed and pulled on the clothing, feeling warm within seconds. I had the helmet pulled over my head and my hair was back in a loose bun. I made my way down the stairs with my arms wrapped tightly around me, trying to keep the cold out. James and Fred were sitting down on the sofas and Dagan was on the other side, looking awake and full of coffee.

"There she is. The star player of the decade!" Dagan said with a smile. I glared at him and sat down next to James, laying my head onto his shoulder. Dagan shook his head and glared back. "No. We have to go down to the pitch. We're late as it is!"

"What do you expect? It's six in the morning! No sane person is going to be there early!" I grumbled, following the three boys onto the Quidditch pitch.

When we got outside we were greeted by the frigid air of early September. James looked back at me and grimaced, mock-shivering. I laughed and then shut up when I saw what Dagan wanted us to do. He wanted us to fly a flew laps around the pitch, which wasn't going to be easy considering the conditions and then warm up by tossing the Quaffle between us. While that may seem easy, it wasn't. Remember, it was freezing early September weather.

"All right! Now, Lestrange, I want you to go down to the other side of the pitch and watch us closely. We're practicing passing and keeping, all right?!" We all nodded, shivering in our thin uniforms.

I looked over at the stands and saw that Aspen had made her way out and was now clapping when one of us did something right. I smiled at her and then concentrated on what was going on. James was flying around the field, trying to whack the Bludger. He finally did it and sent it flying towards Leighton Docks, a fourth year. It collided with her nose and sent her flying towards the earth.

"Potter! You just sent a valuable player down!" Dagan yelled, forcing a shudder out of me. I swooped down from where I was guarding the goalposts and landed just by Leighton. Blood was pouring from her nose and I pushed my hand into my mouth to keep myself from gagging. "Bloody hell. Looks like someone needs to go to the Hospital Wing!"

"Who's taking her?" I asked quietly, knowing the answer as soon as I asked it. He turned to me and smiled a creepy smile. "No! No bloody way! I am not taking her! What do you want me to do?! How am I supposed to help a fourth year?!"

"Just take her Lestrange. I don't need your melodramatics!" he sighed, shooting me another grin. I sighed, rolled my eyes and picked her up, half-dragging her to the Hospital Wing.

XoXo

_And how can we win  
When fools can be kings  
Don't waste your time  
Or time will waste you_

I was sitting next to Leighton, almost falling asleep, all because I didn't want to go back to face the wrath of Dagan. Madame Pomfrey kept coming in and out, shooting me death glares and that was when I realized that practice was over and I could leave without Dagan murdering me. I left Leighton, looking at her peaceful figure one last time and made my way down the stairs and into the Gryffindor common room, getting stopped by Dagan, coincidentally. "Where were you for the rest of practice today, Lestrange?" he accused, cornering me by a wall.

"Um, making sure that she was comfortable," I explained, lying through my teeth.

"I'm sure. And not just skiving off of my practices are we? Even though Madame Pomfrey could have done it herself?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure. She is a valuable person to our team."

"So are you. I had expected more of you Lestrange."

"Well, maybe you should get used to disappointment!" I stalked away from him and made my way into the common room, going up to the dorms. Aspen was sitting on one of the bed's reading. "What are you doing?"

"Reading. Why? Does it look like I'm doing something else?" she asked, her brows furrowing deep into her eyes.

"No. I just wanted to know why you were up here and not on the grounds. You usually like to be down there instead of up here." I ripped off my Quidditch robes and got changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"It's freezing outside! I don't randomly go outside in the bloody cold!" I raised my hand and gasped in mock surprise.

"Aspen Green is actually swearing! That's like Raine Vondurri actually being nice!" She laughed and threw her pillow at me.

"Shut up you mental! I swear!"

"She's lying now! This is just going way to far now! She's really traveling down the wrong path!" She laughed, jumped off the bed and smacked me across the head, sending another round of giggles through us.

XoXo

_No one's gonna take me alive  
The time has come to make things right  
You and I must fight for our rights  
You and I must fight to survive_

No one's gonna take me alive  
The time has come to make things right  
You and I must fight for our rights  
You and I must fight to survive

No one's gonna take me alive  
The time has come to make things right  
You and I must fight for our rights  
You and I must fight to survive


	29. R&R

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, but I definitely wish I did….Then Acacia could be real, sort of, and not just in my mind, sort of.**

XoXo

_Sick with regret you sputter out  
Your flame swallowed in doubt  
Light the cigarette and take a breath,  
the smoke inflates your chest and thins your blood  
so you bleed less inside  
Left with the mess that came about  
when you chose to live without out  
on foreign shores you fight or die  
life's thrown before your eyes and leaves it's toll  
on your calloused empty soul_

There were footsteps coming up the stairs, so I picked myself up off the ground, extending my hand to Aspen. She took it and stood up, brushing her pants off and smiling at me. Raine walked into the room and gave us an incredulous look while Aspen and I were trying not to die of laughter.

"What are you two doing up here?" she asked with genuine curiosity. I glared at her and stepped forward, ready to rip her head off if need be.

"Nothing. But, we could just hit you and get it over with!" I growled, anger ripping through my system. She narrowed her own eyes and then laughed.

"But you won't. You're too sweet aren't you, Lestrange?" she taunted, trying to see how far she could pull me.

"No!" I screamed, advancing on her again. "If there was one person that I've ever known that isn't too sweet, it was me!" I knew it made no sense, but I could hardly let onto that now.

"Oh, really? Then let me see it. Hit me now!" she taunted again, a stupid little smirk playing on her stupid lips. But I did it. I hit her as hard as I possibly could and felt the bones crush underneath my fist. I winced at the sound, but couldn't help but feel grim satisfaction at her actually feeling pain. Pain that I had been feeling ever since she started hating me!

"Ow! Bloody hell! What are you doing, Lestrange?! What the hell?!" She was clutching her nose, blood pouring out through her fingers. "I didn't actually think you would punch me! God!"

"Sorry. Maybe next time you won't taunt me, Vondurri!" I smiled at her and waved as she made her way to the hospital. I knew I was getting a detention, but what did I care? I finally took my temper out on my worst enemy and was proud of it!

XoXo

_How long, how long will we be desperately alone,  
how long, how long?  
How long, how long will we have to pay for what we've done,  
how long, how long?_

I was sitting in Professor Longbottom's office; barely listening to what he was saying and just replaying the scene in my head. Of course, it had changed since it had happened. I was much more a heroine and somehow Aspen was involved. But whatever, I still punched her in the face. And that felt good. Hell that felt better than good that felt amazing! Best thing I had ever done!

"Lestrange, are you even listening to me?" Longbottom finally asked, pulling me out of my reverie.

"Of course I'm listening," I lied smoothly, flashing him a winning smile and sitting up straighter. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Fine. What do I have to do?"

"Well, first of all, you have to do detention for at least a month," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. I gasped and sat up for a completely different reason.

"A month?! Just for hitting her!" I screamed, standing up and glaring at Longbottom. He sighed and gestured to the seat I had been sitting in. "But let me guess, if she had hit me nothing would have happened to her!" Longbottom shook his head, sighing audibly again. "This is prejudiced I tell you!"

"Prejudiced against what, Acacia?" he asked heatedly, standing up himself. I finally had him worked up enough that he was using my first name, great. "She would have been punished in the exact same way that you are being punished now!" I scoffed disbelievingly at that. "You know its true Acacia! You punched another student in the face and now you have to pay the consequences for it! And you have taken points away from Gryffindor!"

"How many points?" I muttered sulkily, not looking at him.

"Twenty," he sighed, sitting back down. "And your detentions start on Saturday morning and you will continue coming every Saturday morning until I tell you to stop!" I felt my mouth fall open in horror.

"Saturdays?! But we have Quidditch practice on Saturdays!" I gasped angrily. Longbottom shook his head and looked down at his desk, fiddling with his fingers.

"You should have thought about that before you punched Miss Vondurri in the face. Now, I have work to do and you should probably go down for lunch. See me next week for your first detention, Lestrange!"

I nodded and walked out of his office, disappointment and anger looming over me. How could I have been so stupid to actually fall into her trap of despair? This was what she wanted all along and I was stupid enough to punch her in the face just like she wanted! Well, now I would have to face the wrath of Dagan and see if I could live to see the next Saturday to make it to Longbottoms stupid detention.

XoXo

_"What we would give to feel alive!"  
Through the fog a muffled cry,  
"The anchor's lost and so am I,"  
We fall victims to the tide  
I'm free to drift and free to die on my terms now_

I sat down at the Gryffindor table and started putting some food for my lunch down. Aspen, Fred and James were all looking at me with incredulous eyes. I couldn't meet a single one so I stood up and walked over to where Dagan was sitting. He looked up briefly and then walked over to me, surprise all over his dark features.

"What is it, Acacia? Something up?" he asked, standing in front of me so that I had to look up at his face. I started messing with my hands, trying to figure out the best way to tell him what had happened. "What? You're acting like you got a detention or something." I looked up at him with my eyebrows furrowed and a sorry expression on my face. "You didn't! Lestrange! Your one of the most important on our team and you decide to go and land a detention? Please, just spare me this and tell me that it's once!"

"Well, you see. I kind of punched Raine Vondurri in the face and that landed me detentions for a month. Every Saturday," I explained, still looking into his green eyes. He scoffed and started pacing. "Look, Dagan. I know it sounds bad, but I promise I'll be getting James and Fred to practice with every night!"

"No. How about we have a few extra practice sessions with just you and me? We don't even have to worry about this. We'll be all ready for the first game against Ravenclaw. It's fine, it's no big deal," Dagan said hurriedly, turning around. "Oh, and Lestrange?"

"Yeah?" I asked, looking him straight in the eye.

"Try not to get into any more detentions. We can't afford it at this point in the game." I laughed and nodded, walking back to my seat. I sat next to James and smiled widely.

"What was that all about?" he asked around a mouthful of something that looked like meat.

"Oh, I punched Vondurri in the face earlier, got a detention and told Dagan I couldn't be at practice for the next month. Oh, and don't talk with your mouth full, it looks disgusting!" I said, stabbing a potato and putting it into my mouth. James stopped chewing completely and just stared at me, along with Fred. Aspen just continued to nonchalantly eat her food, like her usual self.

"You punched Raine in the face?!" James asked disbelievingly. I nodded with a smile plastered onto my face and then laughed when Fred started to choke. Aspen pounded him on the back and he turned a healthier shade of pale.

"I didn't know you had it in you, Acacia! Way to go!" Fred leaned across the table and high-fived me. "Eh, she's a bitch anyway. Why'd you do it?"

"She was taunting me, I lost my temper and voila! Instant pain on Raine's part!" I said proudly, completely missing the glare that Aspen was shooting me.

"What's that look for, Aspen?" James asked, looking straight at her.

"Nothing. I just don't think that she should have hit Raine, that's all. She didn't really deserve it," Aspen explained, looking down at her food.

"What?! You heard what she said!" I screamed back. Aspen rolled her eyes and got up from the table, leaving me to think about why Vondurri deserved it.

XoXo

_How long, how long will we be desperately alone?  
How long, how long_

How long, how long will we have to pay for what we've done?  
How long, how long.

Sick with regret, you sputter out.


	30. 5805

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, but I can make it my own, right? Fine…. I guess I can't! The lyrics are by The Classic Crime and the song is 5805**

**Hey, everybody. I just wanted to thank everyone that I haven't replied to their reviews or that just read my story and don't quite get around to reviewing…I really appreciate that you guys even click on my story and take the time to get through the first chapter! It makes writing this worthwhile and I promise that if anyone has a problem with what I'm writing or they just don't like my writing, I will take any of your ideas! Just pm me or review me! Remember, you guys are why I kept up with Acacia!**

XoXo

_Friends, I will keep you like trophies,  
In my heart to remember how loneliness,  
Was a faded dream on two hundred and nineteenth street.  
We were more than just young, we were full of it.  
And no one could touch us or take us in,  
Watching the sunset from the roof,  
We'd plan our next adventure._

It was after lunch and I was sitting on the grounds near the lake and holding a book in my hands. I was actually reading, or I was anyway, James kind of interrupted me after maybe fifteen minutes of sitting down. I was bundled up in my coat and scarf and gloves while he was just sitting there in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. He smiled and sat down, looking casual and not really caring whether it was cold or not.

"Aren't you freezing?" I voiced, not looking up from my page, but feeling his hand on my hair as he moved a piece of hair away from my face.

"Nope. Personally, I have no idea why you're all bundled up," he smiled, looking into the lake. I smiled and put my book down, finally looking at him. "Starting to feel guilty yet?"

"No," I said sulkily, looking away from him. "Can we please not talk about this now?"

"Fine. But you know Aspen's really mad at you?" he asked as though I had no idea.

"No. I really couldn't tell from the way she just got away from our table and walked away!"

"Oh, right…. Sorry."

"It's not your fault. I was just being mental, as usual." I could feel a tear slip from beneath my eyelid. I don't know why I was crying, I guess I was just thinking about all that had happened since I woke up that morning. James saw it and decided that that was a good time for him to shut up. Which it was, I'm not going to deny that. I stared out at the glass that made up the lake and ran my thoughts around and around in my head, trying to figure out why I was so upset about everything. I wasn't guilty, I never got guilty. I had a bad or a good conscience or whatever and however you want to think about that. I guess I was just confused about how everything had blown up since Quidditch practice this morning.

XoXo

_I was 19 and young,  
Thought I had it all figured it out.  
The world was our oyster,  
And we dove in to get the pearl out._

Now we are swimming in memories,  
How we wish we could go back.

I was back inside now, basically just wandering the halls and trying to find something to do. James had gone off with Fred to go pull a prank or something like that, Aspen was still mad at me for punching Vondurri in the face and there wasn't really anyone else that was willing to talk to me. I almost wanted to talk to Dalton, but I had no idea where to find him, as he was a Slytherin and I was a Gryffindor. Technically speaking, we weren't even supposed to be friends. But what did I care? I had broken enough rules already! I was in Gryffindor, I was related to Bellatrix Lestrange, I wasn't pulling things out of my mind that were evil and torturous and not enough people hated me!

"Hey, Lestrange," a familiar voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw the glorious brunette head of Tristan Riddle. I smiled and stopped, waiting for him to come up. He was in his robes, on a Saturday, which I found incredibly odd. "Where are your friends?"

"Well, James is off with his cousin, Fred. And Aspen is mad at me!" I poured out, staring at the ground, but feeling his warm body next to mine.

"Aspen Green is mad at you?" he asked, surprised. I nodded solemnly and continued glaring at the floor. "Aren't you two like best friends?" I nodded again, but this time looked up and the wall. "Hm. I never thought that she could get mad at anyone. Odd."

"Yes, well, I'm pretty sure that you'd get mad at me too if you heard what I did," I muttered, looking into his gorgeous emerald green eyes.

"Oh really? And what did you do?" he prodded sweetly as we continued to walk down the grey corridor.

"I punched Vondurri in the face today," I giggled, realizing how funny it was that I actually got to punch the girl that I hated. He coughed and stopped abruptly, grabbing my shoulder. Hard. "Ow! What the hell was that for?!"

"That's why Abel was so pissed off!" I felt my eyebrows furrow and he nodded to himself, adding to my confusion. "He ran up to the hospital wing and I was wondering why he was acting all heroic and brotherly and that's why. He actually hit the wall with his own hand out of anger." I giggled at that and pictured Vondurri's brother punching the wall when he found out the bloody Lestrange had punched his _darling_ sister in the face.

"That would explain." He laughed and we continued to walk, not even noticing that we were going outside again. "So, what brings you down to these hallways anyway?"

"I was just roaming, like you. Trying to find something to do, like you," he smiled down at me and I smiled back, walking beside him and shivering, having dropped my coat off at the Gryffindor tower. "Do you want my coat?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head. I was shivering even harder now and he chuckled, giving me the jacket anyway, and instantly sending warmth through my body.

XoXo

_I've got a sneaking suspicion that  
Hindsight only favors good vision.  
But I'm not one to complain when it's all I dream of.  
We were more than just useless and stupid kids,  
The music it moved us, we shook our fists,  
As we sang along at the top of our lungs._

_Now we are swimming in memories,  
How we wish we could go back.  
We hold the hope that someday  
We'll see the world again like that.  
Like that,  
Like that,  
Like that!_

Now we are swimming in memories,  
How we wish we could go back.  
We hold the hope that someday  
We'll see the world again like that!  
Like that,  
Oh, like that!  
Like that!  
Yeah!


	31. Need You Now

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, but I can make it my own, right? Fine…. I guess I can't! The lyrics are by Lady Antebellum and the song is Need You Now**

**I promise the next chapter will be extra long! I have ideas for it already and everything! Just hold on a little bit longer!**

XoXo

I woke up from a nap underneath the large tree on the grounds feeling groggy and blinking rapidly. Tristan had his arms wrapped around me and his warm voice was wrapping me with lyrics that scared me. _"Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor. Reachin' for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore. And I wonder if I ever crossed your mind, for me it happens all the time."_ I looked up at him and he was stroking my hair lovingly, obviously thinking about something that was beyond him. I cleared my throat and sat up, hoping that this would break him out of his thought.

"You're up," he smiled, the far away look still in his eyes. "You were out for a little while." I looked up at the sky and saw that it was sunset.

"Oh, my God! What time is it?" I asked, excitement hiking up my voice. I jumped up and tried to go inside, but Tristan gripped my wrist. "What?!" I spat, turning around to him.

"Nothing, you don't have to worry about the time, we've got enough," he laughed, sobering up when he realized what he had just said. I was still confused, why was he acting so odd around me now? "Do you want to go back into the castle? It's getting cooler out here."

"Um, sure. I should probably find James, Fred and Aspen," I agreed, looking around the dark grounds. I was getting really worried now. Were _they_ worried about _me_?! How long had I been out?

"Yeah. Acacia, can I tell you something?" Tristan asked in all seriousness, snapping me out of my search for my friends. I nodded and looked into his green eyes. "Recently, due to some research, I have found that you and I are related." I felt my eyes pop out of my head and almost sank to my knees.

"How are we related?" I asked shakily, gripping onto the tree that I had fallen asleep under.

"Why don't we walk inside?" Tristan asked, beginning to walk. I nodded, not having any other choice. "So, our mother and father had two children. The records of it are highly evident. The second child was you, the first child was me." I felt my knees shake with the weight of this realization. My brother was Tristan; Tristan had sung a song about me earlier. Well, at least I thought it was about me. Apparently he could read minds also, because he laughed at what I had thought. "And no, that song I was singing was not about you. It was just something I heard earlier this week. I had it in my head."

I was just silent, not talking, not moving, and not doing anything. I couldn't do anything! Tristan had just sprung the most surprising thing upon me and he expected that I would just carry on normally?! I finally turned away from him and sprinted back to the Common Room.

XoXo

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now  
Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now  
And I don't know how I can do without  
I just need you now_

I pushed into the common room and saw my friends sitting down on the couches in front of the fire. Aspen looked up at me and smiled, Fred and James just continued to chatter animatedly. I went over to Aspen and took my seat, crossing my arms over my chest in frustration. I glared at the fire and pursed my lips, not meeting any of their eyes. "So, how was your day?" she asked, a stupid smile playing on her lips.

"Wonderful!" I sulked, tapping my feet on the ground in frustration. "So, I have surprising news for all of you!"

"Which would be…?" James asked, leaning forward, eager for a little shred of gossip. I turned to Aspen, who tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, trying to act nonchalant when really she was trying to listen harder. I rolled my eyes and leaned forward, acting as though I was telling a ghost story.

"Tristan Riddle, I know that James knows who he is, is my brother!" I said, aghast that I had even been able to say it. I mean, how hard is it to realize that the boy that James hated me to be with, was my brother! Tristan was my brother! That kind of explains why he was so _protective_ of me? No, protective isn't the right word. I don't know what word would describe it, but it kind of explains it.

"_Tristan Riddle_ is your brother?" James asked, almost as surprised as I was.

"Yes!" I nodded, narrowing my eyes at him. "And who was it that told me about two weeks ago that he wasn't my brother?!"

"Well, sorry about that. At least you'll be with all family this Christmas and summer holiday!" he smiled, trying to make me cheer up. I stood up, rolling my eyes and started to pace. He had just reminded me of the horrible sick feeling that had settled when I first found out about having to live with the Malfoys. The sick, disgusting, pure-blood obsessed family of mine.

"Thanks for reminding me, James that made my life a whole lot easier!" I complained, tears forming in my eyes. I blinked hard, trying to stem them and it sort of worked. At least one tear leaked out of my eyelids. My cheeks were flushed with heat and I could hardly keep myself from screaming at the sky. Everything that I had learned and started to love all came crashing down on my head. I had sort of started to have a crush on Tristan, that was gone now because of his being related to me. I had started to forget having to go to the Malfoys over holidays and such like that, but that had come back to me all because of James! If there was one thing I wanted away from, it was this place and everything that it held for me!

XoXo

_Another shot of whiskey can't stop looking at the door  
Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before  
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind  
For me it happens all the time_

I was sitting down for dinner at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall moodily stabbing random pieces of food. It seemed like this happened a lot, me moodily sitting down and not eating while everyone else was sitting down and laughing and eating. Except this time it was different. Tristan had found it helpful, somewhere in his barking brain, that he should come over and suddenly act like my big brother. So, he sat down next to me and smiled, though I didn't smile back, I shot him a death glare instead. But did he get the hint? No, he went right on grinning like an idiot. God, I hate my family!

"So," he said awkwardly, trying to get a conversation started. "Having fun over here with your friends?" I scoffed and got up, moving down to a lower spot on the table. With my luck, which I have none, he got up and followed me. "Are you gonna ignore me now?"

"What do you want me to do?!" I spat, slamming my food down and glaring at him. "You spring the _wonderful_ news that you're my brother on me and you expect things to go back to how they _were_?! What kind of a person are you?!"

"Look," he said quietly, leading me away from the tables. I glared up at him with my arms crossed and tears pooling into my eyes. "I just thought that it would be best." I scoffed at this and glared at the wall behind him. "You have to understand where I'm coming from."

"Where you're coming from?!" I screamed, anger searing through my veins and my hand clenching in and out of a fist. "I have lived my entire life believing that I have no family and all of a sudden I come here and everything changes! I have an aunt that decides that she's going to adopt me and I have to go live with her! I have a brother that decides to spring it upon me not an hour ago that he's my brother! What's going to happen next? I find out my mother isn't dead and that she just didn't want another kid?!"

"No. Our mother is definitely dead. She died a while ago," Tristan explained pain evident in his eyes. "Now, if you're done yelling, you can go back to your table." I turned away from him and felt his hard hand grip my arm.

"Let go of me!" I yelled at him, ripping my arm away. "Don't you dare talk to me like you have jurisdiction over me! Where were you twelve years ago?! You were nowhere! You left me to rot in that godforsaken orphanage! So don't you dare pretend like you can control me!"

I stalked away from him and sat down at the table, tears making their way down my cheeks. I couldn't stand my stupid brother, he couldn't make me do anything and I was intending to make his life a living hell. Just so that maybe he could understand what I had been through for the past twelve years!

_It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now  
Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now  
And I don't know how I can do without  
I just need you now_

Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothin at all

It's a quarter after one I'm all alone and I need you now

And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now

And I don't know how I can do without

I just need you now

I just need you now

Ooo, baby, I need you now


	32. Where The Story Ends

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, but I can make it my own, right? Fine…. I guess I can't! The lyrics are by The Fray and the song is Where The Story Ends**

XoXo

Up until the holidays, life went by quite fast. There was Quidditch practice, a plethora of detentions and just generally torturing my older brother. But that all stopped one week before Christmas. I had received a letter from my Aunt Narcissa saying that I _had_ to spend the holidays with them and Tristan, my hated older brother. Anyway, I was sitting up in the girls' dormitory with tears pouring down my red cheeks and just throwing things into my trunk. I could hear footsteps thumping up the stairs. I scraped the tears off of my face and slammed my trunk shut.

"What are you doing?" Aspen asked, stopping outside the door and putting all of her weight onto one leg. "Term doesn't end until Friday, two days from now."

"Yeah, well, try telling that to _Auntie Narcissa_," I spat, sitting down on my bed and crossing my arms over my chest. "All three of us are leaving tonight. Me, Tristan and Scorpius. She's picking us up in fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes? That's completely ridiculous! Who is she? Your mother?!" I scoffed and felt tears well up in my eyes again.

"She might as well be!" I had my knees clutched to my chest and I was shaking. Would she hate me? Probably. Not much I could do about that now! "What am I supposed to do?! I can't survive without them!"

"Don't worry. Everything will end all right!"

"How do you know that, Aspen?!" She just blinked and widened her eyes. "That's right, Aspen, you don't! So why don't you just shut up and go back to your perfect family that loves you?!"

"Fine! But don't expect to come back to any friendship with me!" she screamed, her face red with hot anger. I pushed past her, dragging my trunk behind her and tears scalding their way down my cheeks.

I made my way through the corridors, greeting harsh stares with less than grace. I could hear people whispering at me, but I didn't pay them any attention. I was just trying to get to the entrance of the castle so I could get over and done with this holiday.

I finally made it to the entrance of the castle and sank down onto my knees. Sobs were ripping their way out of my chest and echoing across the walls. Hot, salty tears were catching on my chin and dripping onto the floor, reminding me of raindrops. Footsteps reverberated around me and then stopped abruptly. A pair of strong, warm arms wrapped themselves around me and pulled me in. I clutched onto them and sobbed into the boy's shirt.

"Shh, shh," Tristan cooed, rubbing circles into my back. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

"Wh-what d-do you c-care?" I sobbed pushing away from him and standing up. "And do-don't use th-the I'm y-your big b-b-brother l-line!" I was wiping the tears away from my eyes and glaring at Tristan. He had a stupid little smug grin on his stupid face.

"Yes! I don't care! That's why I'm over here, asking you what's wrong!" he yelled back, throwing his arms up to the sky.

"Piss off!" I whispered, sitting down on my trunk and holding my head in my hands. I was through with crying. No one would ever see me cry at this house again! I was sick of everyone getting through my thick head. Tristan was just staring at me, his mouth agape at what I had told him to do. I allowed myself a smug smile and waited until Aunt Narcissa showed up.

XoXo

We were rounding the driveway to the house, my things shoved right next to me uncomfortably. I was silent and waiting until I could jump out of the car and run up into my room. Though, I had no idea where it was, Tristan or Scorpius would have to show. Which meant spending more time with my family, which I really did not need.

"Here we are, Malfoy Manor," Tristan said grandly when I jumped out of the car. I glared at him and pulled my things out of the car. "Aunt Narcissa wants me to show you your room. I picked it out for you earlier this year."

"What do you mean you picked it out for me earlier this year?!" I growled, glaring at the huge manor.

"Well, Aunt Narcissa knew she wanted you to live here. If only for personal reasons. And she wanted me to pick out your room for you. I picked the best one if I do say so myself!" He smiled down at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

"So, you all knew I was coming?"

"Pretty much. Though, we were all wondering what you looked like. I'm glad you look like our mother. It kind of leaves more to the legacy."

"Legacy?"

"You know. The Black sister legacy. It was our mum, Scorp's mum, and Aunt Andromeda. Though, we're not supposed to talk about her. She's supposedly a blood traitor." My eyes widened at that. I had assumed that she was the nicest woman on the planet. "Exactly. But, it's Aunt Narcissa's rules."

"What about Uncle Lucius, I've heard quite a bit about him." Tristan's face turned from laughing to solemn in about five seconds. "Sorry. I didn't know I had touched nerve."

"No. You should probably know about this, anyway. Uncle Lucius died about three years ago. Don't talk about him in front of Narcissa. She'll scream and then burst into tears. Which will bring Draco into the picture. You don't want him to come near you; he's a very mean person."

"Wonderful. Another person that hates me!"

"He doesn't hate you. But don't worry. I won't let him hurt you. One of the perks about being an older brother, I get to beat on other people." I laughed at that, a belly laugh that usually only happened around James, Aspen and Fred. "You laughed. You actually laughed at something I said."

"Yeah. Don't get used to it." He nodded and opened a door. It was my room. I gasped when I saw it and dropped my things. There was a piano in the corner and a window seat that let the perfect amount of sun in. There was a gorgeous four poster bed in the corner and I loved it!

"So, I take it you like it," he laughed, standing in the doorway.

"Are you kidding me?! It's perfect!" I ran over to the piano and started playing a few chords and then sang. "_Trying not to lose my head, but I've never been this scared before. Tell you what I'll do instead, lay my body down on the floor to forget what I've done. Silhouette 'til the good Lord come. All we know is distance, we're close and then we run. Kiss away the difference. I know you hate this one."_

"I didn't know you wrote songs," Tristan smiled, coming over to the piano. "Is there anymore where that came from?"

"Of course. It was the only thing that kept me sane in the orphanage." I smiled up at him, but was greeted with his serious green eyes. "_Trying not to lose your own boxing up everything you've got. All you ever knew of home. You're scared scared to see your mother there in the door. You wonder, where did the years go? All we know is distance, we're close and then we run. Kiss away the difference, I know you hate this one. But this is how the story ends, or have we just begun? To kiss away the difference, I know you hate this one. The violins make no sound and I begin to feel the ground. All we know is distance, we're close and then we run. Kiss away the difference I know you hate this one. But this is where the story ends or have we just begun? To kiss away the difference, I know you hate this one. The century is turning, watching twenty one. Rushing past the window, like he's watching his own son. And sixty years of sorrow brought five or six of bliss. Left my mother's mother without so much as a kiss."_

I looked up at Tristan with expectant eyes, but he was off in a world of his own. I snapped my fingers and whistled, bringing him back to the present. He looked down at me with a sad expression and then walked over to my bed. He sat down and then started to mess with the pillows on the bed.

"What's up? You're like off in your own world!" I laughed, sitting on the window seat. He was still gazing past my head. "Are you going to answer me?"

"I suppose your wondering why mum left you at the orphanage and why I got to live with Narcissa and live a good life."

"Well, I was at first, but I guess it's just fate. Right? I mean, mum obviously knew that you were going to live a good life so she gave you to Aunt Narcissa, but then said that I couldn't live a good life. That's how I ended up in the godforsaken orphanage, anyway." I had quickly started to sulk. I was glaring out the window with hatred. My mum was a stupid, messed up woman! And now I was going to become a stupid, messed up girl! How fair was life?!

"You are completely wrong!" Tristan laughed, staring at me from where he was sitting.

"What do you mean?" I spat, not turning away from the nature outside.


	33. Murder City

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or any of J.K. Rowling's original characters. I only own Acacia and Tristan and Aspen! The song is Murder City and the artist is Greenday.**

**XoXo**

I looked at Tristan with wide eyes, but he didn't pay any attention to me. He was too busy staring off into space. I snapped my fingers at him and he snapped into action. He smiled at me, but there was something different behind his smile. There was something like pain, maybe anger. I sat on the floor in front of him and stared solemnly at him. "What?" he asked genuinely confused.

"You started saying something, but then you stopped," I laughed, trying to get him to smile. He gave me a half smile, but that wasn't what I wanted. He was just trying to get me off his back. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

"Not. I need to get downstairs," he said as he got up, leaving me on the floor.

I stood up and blocked the doorway, skidding to a stop. He glared at me and then pushed me out of the way, walking down the stairs. I landed on the floor and brushed my long hair out of my face. I glared at him harder and then followed him downstairs. "What do you mean you're not going to tell me now? You stopped right in the middle of our conversation!" I whispered, walking behind him lightly.

"Exactly. Get used to it!" he said scathingly, walking faster.

"What happened to you?!" I asked angrily, running to face him. I put my hands on his chest and forced him to stop. He gripped my wrists with force and took them away from his chest, forcing them back to my sides. "Ow! What the bloody hell?!"

"Look!" he hissed, coming down to my height. "We cannot be loud in this house! Narcissa and Draco will have a freak attack if they hear us carrying on!"

"Fine! I'll be as silent as a mouse! Just you wait, Tristan, I shall be the best house guest you've ever seen!" I stalked away from him with anger etched onto my face and walked down the stairs. He sighed loudly and then I heard him follow me. "Don't bother! You already made your point!"

"Acacia, listen to me," he sighed, catching my shoulders and spinning me around. I looked directly into his green eyes and tensed up. "There are rules that you _have _to follow in this house. I don't know if it was like that at the orphanage, but Narcissa is an incredibly organized person; if you aren't also then you probably shouldn't be living in this house."

"Oh, yeah," I scoffed, struggling against him. "Because I'm really here by choice. In case you didn't know, she's making me stay here."

"I did know that. But you're just going to have to deal with it! Now, come downstairs and meet the family." He pushed me down the hallway without remorse.

"No! What if they hate me?!"

"They won't. You're family, you can't hate family."

"Sure. We'll go with that!" But I followed him all the same.

XoXo

We walked into the kitchen and saw Aunt Narcissa over the sink. It looked like she was crying, but I couldn't tell. I looked around the kitchen and saw a lot of pictures. There was one that caught my eye. It looked like my mum, Aunt Narcissa and Aunt Andy when they were all younger. My mum looked about my age, Aunt Andy two years younger than that and Aunt Narcissa two years younger than Aunt Andy. They were all smiling and looked genuinely happy to be in each other's presence, this must have been before all of the blood-traitor nonsense. There was one where my mum was kissing Aunt Andy on the cheek and Aunt Narcissa was in the background pouting. I wondered how their family life was if they had all ended up hating each other. I saw my hand reach out and grab the second picture before I could stop it. Aunt Narcissa turned around as though she could hear me grabbing it and then growled.

"What are you doing?!" she spat, ripping the picture from my grasp.

"I-I just wanted t-to see what y-you all looked l-like when you were y-younger," I stammered, suddenly scared of the beautiful woman that stood in front of me.

"Don't tell me!" she screamed, slamming the picture down and making me jump. "You were stealing it weren't you, you little thief?!"

"N-no! I was just l-looking at it!" I stammered again, but this time staring her in the face. She glared back and then sighed, turning towards the doorway to the kitchen. I tried to see what she was looking at, but she pushed me back.

"Just wait until my son comes down here! He'll set you straight!" she hissed, glaring at me again. I glared defiantly at her, but she didn't seem to care. She was going to win this battle and she would make sure of it. I could hear thumping down the stairs and knew that it was Draco. I got a nervous sinking feeling in my stomach that I couldn't explain. Suddenly a blond-haired, pointed face poked out of the doorway and I stepped back, he was angry. Deathly angry and I was scared of him.

"What is going on down here?!" he yelled, looking at his mother. She pointed to me and opened her mouth to respond.

"It was her. I caught her trying to steal this picture of my sisters and I!" she screeched, pointing a long finger at me.

"No I did not!" I screamed back at her, anger getting the best of me. Draco took three long steps toward me and then reached his hand back. He brought it down on my face; a loud smacking sound came out of it. I reeled backward, landing hard on the ground. I instinctively reached toward my face and felt the sting and then the tears springing into my eyes. I looked around for Tristan, but he was nowhere to be found. He couldn't protect me now. No one could.

"You don't talk to your guardian that way!" he hissed in my face, making me flinch.

"She's not my guardian! No one is except for Aunt Andy!" I hissed back boldly, not my smartest idea. He smacked me again, on the other side. Blood was filling my mouth now and I had to spit it out. But I couldn't here, for the sake of getting hit again. Draco was ruthless, he wouldn't let up no matter how much I denied anything.

I turned away from them and ran up the stairs, tears choking through my system. Blood was filling my mouth at an alarming rate and I could already feel my face swelling. I could hear footsteps behind me and I somehow knew that it was Tristan, finally coming to save me. I pushed open my bedroom door and collapsed on the floor, not finding the strength to keep going. I coughed and blood splattered the floor. There was so much. Blood seemed to be everywhere, staining the wood floor and making odd marks on the grain.

"Hey, hey. It's okay," Tristan said calmly, enveloping me in his arms and rocking me back and forth. "It's all right. Let it all out."

I turned in his arms to face his chest. I sobbed hard and loud into his shirt and it didn't seem like I would stop. My face was beginning to get stiff and it stung every time something touched it. The blood had stopped though, the only good sign of that night. Tristan kept shifting me in his lap, trying to get me situated so that both of us could be comfortable. I knew that I should get up and try to act like a normal person, but I couldn't. I just wanted to be warm and feel like I could be loved by at least one person. My tears were staining his shirt, but it just felt right, leaning against him and knowing that my brother would always be there for me.

XoXo

A few hours later, I was sitting at the piano and just playing random chords. And then an idea popped into my head! It was a song, of course, but it was something that I needed to play. Tristan was sitting on my bed, reading a book and looking over every once in a while just to make sure that I was doing all right.

I started out a little softly, but then sang louder.

"_Desperate, but not hopeless. I feel so useless in the murder city. Desperate, but not hopeless. The clock strikes midnight in the murder city. I'm wide awake after the riot. This demonstration of our anguish. This empty laughter has no reason, like a bottle of your favorite poison. We are the last call, and we're so pathetic."_

Tristan had moved to my side and added his own voice in to add a harmony. I smiled as our voices meshed like the odd family that we had made in the past few hours. _"Desperate, but not hopeless. I feel so useless in the murder city. Desperate, but not helpless. The clock strikes midnight in the murder city. Christian's crying in the bathroom and I just want to bum a cigarette. We've come so far, we've been so wasted, it's written all over our faces. We are the last call and we're so pathetic."_

He stepped back and let me sing the last part on my own, but staying close. He was scared to let me out of his sight now, I guess. _"Desperate, but not hopeless. I feel so useless in the murder city. Desperate, but not helpless. The clock strikes midnight in the murder city. Desperate, but not helpless. The clock strikes midnight in the murder city."_

I looked back at Tristan and he had his arms wrapped around my shoulders, trying to be as protective as he could. "What?" I asked, trying to smile through my swollen cheeks.

"This is my entire fault," he whispered as he ran a finger lightly over my cheeks. "If I had been there none of this would have happened."

"Yes it would have. You couldn't have stopped anything. You would have gotten it harder." He smiled slightly, sadly actually and then turned away. I could see a few tears sparkling in his green eyes, though. "Hey, thanks for everything though. It's nice to know that someone cares here."

"Yeah," he scoffed, turning angry again. "They're not gonna touch you again."

"Promise?" I asked childishly.

"Promise with all my heart!"


	34. The Coldest Heart

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, they are the Classic Crime and the song is The Coldest Heart.**

XoXo

I woke up sprawled on the floor and the sound of rain covering me like thousands of teardrops. Tristan wasn't anywhere to be found and I was still in my clothes from the previous day. I pulled off my old clothes and pulled on others from my trunk. The shirt was a little hard to get on, considering how much my face had swelled overnight. I was just pulling my belt tighter and stepping into the bathroom to check the damage of my face when I heard yelling coming from downstairs. I stepped out of the bathroom, a quick grimace passing over my face when I saw the bruises and the puffiness of my face, and walked down the stairs. I paused just before reaching the bottom one, sat down, pulled my knees up to my chest and listened as hard as I could.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I heard Tristan scream. "If you saw her face you would be crying your bloody eyes out!"

"I highly doubt that!" I heard Draco yell back. "She got exactly what she deserved!"

"And what was that? A slap and scars to match?!"

"Yes! She was stealing my _mother's_ picture!"

"No, she wasn't! She was looking at it! Looking and stealing are two different things!"

"Are you challenging your guardian?"

"No! I'm guarding someone that thinks that they have jurisdiction over me! Which they don't! You're lucky I don't just walk out of this house and take her with me!"

"Oh yes, and then you shall be pulled over by police and then brought back to us!" I could hear the creak of floorboards as Draco stepped closer to Tristan. Then there was the crack of his hand against Tristan's skin. "And that was for trying to pretend like you belong in this family!"

"Draco! What are you doing?!" a female's voice screeched as the kitchen door slammed shut.

"Nothing, Astoria! Get out!" he spat angrily. I could hear the woman, Astoria, scuffling over to where Tristan was standing and then imagined her looking at Draco with disbelief. "Get out, I said!"

"No! What are you doing to this poor child?!" she asked worriedly. I could just imagine her stroking my brother's cheek with a motherly grace.

"Dad, Mum? What's going on?" I heard Scorpius ask with concern.

"Nothing. Your mother needs to go grocery shopping, son. Why don't you go with her?" Draco said smoothly, covering up what had just happened. I could just imagine Scorpius nodding up and down with vigor. "Go, Astoria, you know we need something for dinner." I could imagine his wife walking out the door, her head hanging and knowing that she should stop her husband, but not knowing how to.

"Wait!" I called, finally finding my voice. "Don't go!" I stepped out of the stairway and showed my face to Draco, his wife and his son. I heard Astoria's sharp intake of air when she saw my face and then Scorpius look from me to his father. "Don't leave us here with him!" Astoria shook her head and glared at her husband.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she screeched at him, taking a few steps forward. "These are poor innocent children and you're hurting them!"

"They are not innocent!" he protested, trying to get away from his wife. "Do you know what they're mother did to real _innocent_ people?!"

"What does their mother have to do with anything?! The last time I checked, neither of them was Bellatrix. Even though she does look like her! Parents have nothing to do with anything, Draco. I thought you would have learned that by now!" Astoria turned away from her husband, gripping her sons hand and walked out the door. It looked like she didn't heed what I had said.

I looked at Draco, fright scaring its way into my mind. He stomped up to me and raised his hand. I cowered, getting ready for a loud crack and then my head snapping back. But then a shadow covered me. I opened my eyes and saw Tristan's back and heard his chest taking the punches. He was groaning and I felt remorse for letting him take the heat, but didn't say a word. Draco then turned away and walked up the stairs. Tristan turned to me, gripped my hand and pulled me outside into the pouring rain.

XoXo

Tristan sat me down beneath a tree and looked me straight in the eyes. "How's that for keeping a promise?" he smiled at me, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Tristan. I can handle it," I whispered, hugging him around the neck. He laughed, which quickly turned into a sob. I looked at him again and could see the red hands where Draco had slapped him. "I'm so sorry." He just looked at me with his sad, green eyes with tears and rain mixed traveling down his cheeks and a frown plastered onto his lips. "So sorry about everything. It's my fault that this happened."

"W-what are you t-talking about?" he choked, staring at me with disbelief. "N-nothing is y-your f-fault!" I looked down at the ground and started to rub a scuff out of my shoes. "L-look at m-me." I shook my head and started rubbing at my shoe harder. He put a finger underneath my chin and forced my head up. "This isn't your fault. It would have happened sooner or later."

"Whatever," I sulked, standing up and walking away. I couldn't hear his footsteps behind me, so I turned around. He was still sitting underneath the tree and looking upset. I flipped my sopping hair away from my face and walked back to the house.

I went around back and saw something that excited me, a way to get into and out of my room without having to alert the Malfoy's to my presence. There was a siding of thick ivy with plenty of footholds in the stones. I put one hand on the ivy and started to lift myself up. The stones were slippery and I felt my stomach drop every time I almost fell. I always caught myself though, except for once. I fell down off of the wall, about ten feet up, almost three feet away from my room and landed on my arm, a huge crack coming from both my arm and my leg. I could feel something hot and wet on my head and searing pain through my body. And that was it, suddenly everything was pitch black and there was nothing.

XoXo

I woke up in a white room to someone singing softly.

"_A couple of years and I'm a silhouette. My halo is broken now and I'm all that's left. I hate to disappoint but it's the way things went. I was blind to the things I did, and deaf to what was said. Tie up these loose ends, these voices are calling me out. I've got the solution; you can feed me to something that is leaving this doubt. Whoa, I'm losing hope. There's a hole in my heart that's been cut out of stone. Whoa, cold comes, cold goes. Could you fill this hole, because I can't do it alone? A couple of tears and I'm a broken mess. The sadness has taken me far too deep in regret. So sing me a song about something good. My hearts on the threshing floor and I've done everything I could. I used to believe in, some kind of feeling that could change everything I thought I knew. But that door is closed and my heart feels like it's frozen. If you hear me, I can feel you. Whoa, I'm losing hope. There's a hole in my heart that's been cut out of stone. Whoa, cold comes, cold goes. Could you fill this, because I can't do it alone? The coldest heart can be brought to life when it's thrown into the fire of goodbyes. I've got the coldest heart, because I can't do it alone."_

I opened my eyes and there was Tristan, his hand clasped with mine and tears slipping down his face. I smiled at him and he smiled back, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "What happened?" I asked my voice crackling with under-use.

"You fell off of the ivy on the side of the roof. Narcissa was actually really upset that you were hurt," he explained, surprise lifting his eyebrows on his forehead. "Of course, Draco came in and smoothed everything over."

"What did he say?" I asked, my eyes widening with wonder. He laughed and sat back, preparing himself for a long story.

"Well, first the doctors asked what happened to your face; he said that when you fell, you must have impacted your head as well. Then they asked what you were doing outside on such a rainy day, he said that you loved to be outside and not even the rain could keep you inside. So, like I said, he smoothed it over perfectly," Tristan spat, anger clouding over his face.

"Oh," I replied my eyes downcast and my head in my hands. My face wasn't as swollen anymore and it didn't hurt to the touch. "So, what's the damage?"

"Your leg and your arm are broken and they're keeping you here over night just in case something happened to your head." Tristan turned around and glared at Draco, just as I looked up and stared into the mirror across from me. My face was yellowish and still swollen a little bit. It was ugly and I almost cried from it. Tristan sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around me, shielding me from tears and also Draco.

"Get off of her. We need to talk," he said coolly and evenly.

"No. I'm not getting off of her!" Tristan protested, tightening his arms. It hurt, but it was a good kind of pain. My big brother was protecting me from harm.

"Tristan Marcus Riddle. Get off of that bed and into the hallway right now!" Tristan stepped off of the bed, but only to step up to Draco and stare defiantly at him.

"Tristan," I said calmly, sitting up. I gave him a meaningful look and he nodded, understanding what it was for. He pushed past Draco, shoving him into the wall as he left and walked into the hallway. "What do _you_ want?" I spat at Draco, narrowing my eyes.

"Just wanted to talk. Nothing else, really," he said calmly, not moving from where he stood. "So. How do you like it here so far?"

"Cut the rubbish!" I yelled, attempting to stand up, but remembering that my leg was broken. "Since when have you cared about what's going on?! All you can do is scream and slap us!"

"Now, I hardly think that's fair. You've only known me for a day," he replied calmly, still standing where he had been for the past five minutes.

"One day is long enough!"


	35. Show Me What I'm Looking For

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, they are Carolina Liar and the song is Show Me What I'm Looking For. And this chapter is dedicated to Hyperactive Lioness a.k.a. my bestie/cousin! We sang this during the Harry Potter premiere and I still haven't been able to forget it! I luff you Gab!**

XoXo

"What did you just say to me?!" he screeched trying to step forward, but not daring because of Tristan out in the hallway. "I'll ask you one more time! What. Did. You. Just. Say. To. Me?!" His face had turned a splotchy red color and a vein in his temple was standing out. I just stared at him with passive interest. He didn't frighten me anymore, at least not while Tristan was standing protectively outside of the door. "Do you enjoy aggravating me, girl?"

"Yes," I nodded, smiling at him. "And I do have a name. You may have forgotten, Acacia Grace Lestrange!" He narrowed his eyes and walked out of the room, anger clouding his face. I sighed and sank down on the bed, tiredness hitting me like a train wreck. I could hear quick steps entering my room and saw Tristan's legs stopping at the bed.

"Are you all right?" he asked concernedly, his eyes twinkling like the big brother he was. I nodded solemnly, lying back on the bed. "Good job with him, by the way. I don't think he expected that from you."

"Obviously not," I whispered, tears coming out of my eyes like raindrops.

"What's the matter?" he asked sweetly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion and his hands clasping mine. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing," I said loudly, turning away from him. "But don't you ever wish that we could just have a normal family? One that isn't shrouded in the dark clouds because of our mother and father and aunt?" He smiled. Not a happy smiled, but an angry and harsh smile. "What? What's up?"

"You talk like your sixteen, not twelve," he laughed. It wasn't really a laugh, but more like a bark of frustration. "It's kind of scary." I nodded, getting up and grabbing crutches from the side of the bed. "Where are you going?"

"I want to go home," I whispered, he nodded and opened the door for me. "Tristan." He looked at me, concern evident on his handsome face. "Not back to the Malfoys. I want to go back to the orphanage. That's the only real home that I've known. At least one person cared about me back there." Tristan stepped towards me and enveloped me in his warm arms and squeezed, trying to not to hurt me. I could feel the sobs coming and just cried into his shirt.

My life had gone from bad to worse within two days. First I have to go live with the Malfoys, that was just horrible and second Draco hates me and I have bruises from him. Life is just freaking wonderful! Tristan was rubbing my back like the good big, protective brother that he was and saying something that I couldn't hear.

"What happened to her?" a snide voice that sounded a lot like Scorpius whined. "Why is she crying?"

"Because you're here!" Tristan snapped sarcastically. I could hear a snort that came from Scorpius and then quick steps that alerted me to Narcissa's presence.

"Could you please get away from her, Tristan? We need to go home," she said curtly, completely missing the fact that I was crying. "That means now."

"What if she doesn't want to go home?" he asked anger obvious in his voice. "What if she would rather go back to orphanage and stay there? Have you ever thought about that, _Narcissa_?!"

"Tristan. I mean now. We're all leaving. Even you, Acacia. Come on," she hissed quietly, grabbing Scorpius' hand and walking down the hallway. I looked up at Tristan and sighed, wiping the tears off of my cheeks. I nodded and took off down the hallway, my slow steps going in contrast with Narcissa's quick ones and some sort of odd beat. Tristan then added his medium steps; we were some sort of beating family. Ironic how things like that work out.

XoXo

We arrived back at the house, our entire family shoved into one car and completely silent. Tristan had dug his Muggle iPod out from somewhere and we were sharing earbuds, trying not sing out loud. _"Wait, I'm wrong. Should have done better than this. Please, I'll be strong. I'm finding it hard to resist, so show me what I'm looking for!"_ I smiled at Tristan, trying to convey that this was the perfect song. He nodded and almost laughed, but turned it into a violent cough which made me laugh.

Finally we couldn't contain ourselves any longer and started to whisper the words. _"Save me, I'm lost. Oh lord, I've been waiting for you. I'll pay any cost. Save me from being confused. Show me what I'm looking for! Show what I'm looking for! Oh, lord!"_ Narcissa looked back at us from where she was sitting and shot us a death glare. I fell silent and then looked at Tristan who was singing louder and was coaxing me to sing too.

"_Don't let go. I've wanted this far too long. Mistakes become regrets,"_ I sang the next part at the top of my lungs at Draco. _"I've learned to love abuse! Please show me what I'm looking for!"_ He looked back at me and glared at me for a very long time. I smiled and continued singing, but now I was enjoying myself and Tristan joined in again.

"_Save me, I'm lost. Oh lord, I've been waiting for you. I'll pay any cost, save me from being confused. Show me what I'm looking for! Oh, Lord. Show me what I'm looking for! Show me what I'm looking for! Show me what I'm looking for! Save me, I'm lost! Oh Lord, I've been waiting for you! I'll pay any cost, save me from being confused! Show me what I'm looking for! Show me what I'm looking for, oh Lord. Show me what I'm looking for! Show me what I'm looking for! Show me what I'm looking for! Save me, I'm lost. Oh Lord, I've been waiting for you. I'll pay any cost, just save me from being confused. Wait, I'm wrong. I can't do better than this. I'll pay any cost, save me from being confused. Show me what I'm looking for. Show me what I'm looking for. Show me what I'm looking for. Show me what I'm looking for. Oh Lord."_

I looked at Tristan and smiled, laughter bubbling inside my chest despite what had happened that day. We lurched to a stop in front of Malfoy Manor and Scorpius and Narcissa scrambled out, leaving me and Tristan alone with Draco. He reached his hand back and ripped the earbuds out of our ears. "Ow!" I screeched, pain trickling through my ear as Tristan reached up to grab his own ear. "What the bloody hell was that for?!"

"Language, Acacia," he said calmly and in a disgusting, sickly sweet way. I shuddered involuntarily and didn't know why. "If I ever see you two with one of these _Muggle_ things again, you will never see the daylight again!"

"Not like we do now," Tristan muttered under his breath. Draco turned to him and glared again.

"What?!" he howled, anger visible in his voice. "What did you say to me, boy?!"

"He has a name! In case you didn't know! It's Tristan!" I hissed at my cousin angrily. He growled, but didn't make any moves toward me.

"I want both of you up in your rooms. Now! And I don't want to hear any sounds! If I do there will be hell to pay!" Tristan and I nodded solemnly and trudged into the house, not even heeding the chattering that was coming from the kitchen. I couldn't even look at my brother, knowing that it was my fault he was in trouble now.


	36. Hot Mess

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, they are Cobra Starship and the song is Hot Mess. I think that I'm completely going off of the whole Harry Potter theme thing, but Alice In Wonderland comes out in 26 DAYS! I'm so excitedddd!!!!**

XoXo

When I limped into my room, I sat down on the window seat and sighed. Once again, my big fat mouth had gotten not only myself, but my brother in trouble. Why couldn't I just learn to shut my mouth and just wait things out? Was that another _wonderful_ trait inherited from my _lovely_ parents? Unfortunately, it didn't seem like would find out, because every time I opened my mouth it seemed like someone got in trouble. Just as my hot breath fogged up the ice cold window, thumping from somewhere in my walls surrounded me. "Who-who's there?" I stammered, fright catching me in its sharp claws.

"Acacia! Open this damn door!" Tristan yelled from inside the walls. I giggled as I looked around, trying to find the door. All I could see was the wood and stone of my room.

"Where is it? There are only my walls in here!" I was laughing at him now. More banging was coming from inside my walls and then I heard a scream and then a crash. "What are doing in there?! What's in there that you can fall on?!" Tristan groaned from somewhere in the bowels of my room and then the wall shifted over, revealing my bruised and dirtied brother. "What are you doing in my walls?!"

"Shh. Remember what Draco said? If he hears something from us, then there will be hell to pay," he whispered. I scoffed and turned back to the window. "Do you just not care about any authority?"

"Well, my philosophy is this: if they feel the need to 'lay down the law' then they're just insecure. The best way to get them over their insecurity is just too completely flout their rules." My ear jumped up as soon as I heard his little scoff and imagined his little smirk that crawled up onto his face. "Don't give me that look! You know it's true!"

"Sure. Whatever you think," he laughed, lying on my bed. "Do you read?"

"What?!" I whirled around to look at him, my wild hair flying all over the place. "I'm twelve years old and you want to know if I read?"

"Not if you can read, just if you do. I mean, you seem like the kind of person that would like to sit up in their room all day on a rainy day and just read." I raised my eyebrows and looked at him skeptically.

"No. I hate reading. I always have." He sat up and disappeared into the wall again. I looked back out the window and watched as big snowflakes fell from the grey sky. My life had turned upside down again, unfortunately. It seemed like it never would be right, which was very upsetting, yes, but also very good. At least I would never know what was coming next!

"Hey," Tristan whispered in my ear. I shrieked and jumped, covering my mouth with my ice-cold hand. "I'm back," he laughed loudly. I jumped up off the window seat and fell with a huge bang. "You okay?" He held out his hand and helped me up.

"I'm fine," I hissed, leaning against him for support. "It's this sodding leg that's the problem!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you fell off the side of the house." I narrowed my eyes at him and hobbled over to my bed, sitting down and crossing one arm with my casted one.

"I wasn't blaming it on you!" I huffed, trying to think of some way I could get rid of this broken leg. "I was blaming it on myself! Anyway, why did you leave and what the hell are you doing back here?!"

"Language, Acacia," he said in the sickly sweet way my cousin had said it not an hour ago. "Anyway, I want you to read this book." He held it out to me.

"_Alice In Wonderland_?" I asked, not liking how it sounded on my tongue.

"Yeah, I used to love it a year ago, but I don't really read it anymore. You would like it though. It's got that creepy beauty about it. I don't know, it just seems like your kind of book."

"Thanks. I might get around to it. Eventually. It's like I told you before, reading isn't really my thing," I smiled at him, flashing my teeth and hobbling over to the barren bookshelf on the other side of my room to put _Alice In Wonderland_ away. Tristan sighed and sat down on my bed, fingering my pillow. "And besides, I never would have guessed that it was your thing either." I was speaking to him with my back turned, but I could still guess what was playing on his face. There was probably a stupid little smirk and his dark brown hair was probably falling into his dark green eyes that contrasted with his olive skin.

"I know. Everyone at school tells me that. Unfortunately, I know more about Muggle authors than they do," he laughed, helping me onto my feet.

"How do you get over here so fast?!" I asked, mocking anger. "And besides, what's so different from Muggle authors than Wizard authors? What do Muggle authors write about?" He just laughed a low ringing laugh that let me know he was really happy to be laughing. "What? That didn't seem funny to me!"

"Nothing. Your question wasn't funny; it just shows how different Muggle and Wizards are. I mean, if I hadn't told you about _Alice In Wonderland_ you wouldn't ever have read it." I furrowed my brows and confusion hit me like a tidal wave. He laughed and then pulled out his wand, thought covering his face like a cloud.

"What are you doing? We're not supposed to do magic outside of school!" I complained, a smile still plastered onto my face. Obviously I didn't mind if he pulled out his wand because I wanted to see what he could do.

"Yeah, but they won't know. And besides, you said you wanted to get rid of that cast right?" I nodded slowly but now was eyeing the wand with wary eyes. "Don't worry. Aunt Narcissa used to do this to me all the time back when Draco didn't live with us and it was only me and her and she was nice. You might feel a slight pinch. _Episkey_." My leg cracked and I feel down, pain shooting up my leg and not stopping. "You okay?"

"I don't know," I said sarcastically, glaring at him. "Did you fix my leg or break it again?!" He laughed and then sat on the ground with me.

"Try to stand up." I rolled my eyes, sighed, but did as he told me. To my surprise, I could stand up and move my leg with nothing happening to it. "How's that?"

"Wow! Why didn't they just do that before?" I asked in wonderment, rolling my foot around freely and then skipping around the house.

"Because you were knocked out and they had no idea what was wrong with you." He stood up and got ready to leave and go out my bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, following him on my near perfect leg.

"They're all asleep; I figure it's time to go get something to eat. Want to come?" I nodded and followed him downstairs, skipping on my newly fixed leg.

XoXo

About an hour later I had broken into their liquor cabinet and was now throwing back shots like it was no one's business. Tristan was shooting me dirty looks, but he didn't say a word. I guess he knew that he couldn't stop me even if he tried. A headache had started to form in my head, but I didn't pay attention to it, why should I? I was perfectly fine. But then the bottle of vodka fell on the floor with a band and crashed open, glass shattering onto the floor. I crossed my arms and laid my head down with a groan.

"Yes, I don't think that this was the best choice on your part, Acacia," Tristan sniggered, looking down at me and smiling.

"Shut up," I groaned, looking at him through narrow eyes and doubling over in nausea. "Help." Tristan nodded and helped me over to the bathroom where I doubled over the toilet and puked disgusting bile into the pristine bowl. I groaned again and then more bile came up. I felt disgusting and knew that there was no way I would feel better tomorrow.

"Do you want me to go get Narcissa? I know she'll be able to help," Tristan offered nicely, smoothing my hair away from my face. I shook my head and heaved. He stepped back and ran out of the bathroom, probably getting Narcissa against my will. I groaned and heaved yet again. Then I heard two sets of footsteps coming into the bathroom and then Narcissa's sharp intake of breath.

"Someone had a hectic night didn't they?" she laughed, kneeling down to where I was. "Unfortunately, you'll feel this tomorrow."

"Unfortunately," I whispered, sweat plastering my hair to my forehead and tears coming down my cheeks.

"Here." I looked up and Tristan was handing me his iPod to listen to while I went through torture. "It'll help, trust me." I nodded and put the earbuds in my ears, pressed play and drowned out the world while I heaved the rest of the alcohol out of my system.

"_You were a problem child, been grounded your whole life, so now you runnin' wild, playin' with them good girls. No, that ain't your style; you think you're hot shit. Ooh, I love it; I love it, yeah, yeah. Stumblin', but yeah, you still lookin' hella fine. Keep doin' what you're doin', and I'ma make you mind._

"_Well, you're a hot mess and I'm fallin' for you. And I'm like 'hot damn, lemme make you my boo.' 'Cause you can shake it, shake it, shake it, yeah, you know what to do. You're a hot mess; I'm lovin' it, hell yes. Got me hypnotized, they city's your playground. I watch you take a bite at 5a.m. roamin' the streets drunk all night; you think you're hot shot. And ooh, I love it, I love it, yeah, yeah. Stumblin' but yeah, you still lookin' hella fine. Keep doin' what you're doin', and I'ma make you mine._

"_Well, you're a hot mess and I'm fallin' for you. And I'm like, 'hot damn, lemme make you my boo." 'Cause you can shake it, shake it, shake it, yeah, you know what to do. You're a hot mess; I'm lovin' it, hell yes. You're a hot mess, and I'm fallin for you. And I'm like, 'hot damn, lemme make you my boo.' ;Cause you can shake it, shake it, shake it, yeah, you know what to do. You're a hot mess, I'm lovin' it, hell yes._

"_If you're dancin' up on tables you go, you go, you got it girl. Say that you're unstable, you go, go, go, you got it, girl. Dancin' up on tables, say that you're unstable. You're a ha-ha-ha-ha-hot, yeah; you're a hot mess. Ha-ha-ha-ha-hot, we're sayin', hell yes! Well, you're a hot mess, and I'm fallin' for you. And I'm like, 'Hot damn, lemme make you my boo.' 'Cause you can shake it, shake it, shake it, yeah, you know what to do. You're a hot mess, I'm lovin' it, hell yes!_

"_You're a hot mess, and I'm fallin' for you. And I'm like, 'hot damn, lemme make you my boo.' 'Cause you can shake it, shake it, shake it, yeah, you know what to do. You're a hot mess, I'm lovin' it, hell yes! (Hell yes). Hot mess, I'm lovin' it, hell yes. (Hell yes). Hot mess, I'm lovin' it hell yes, ooh."_

The song ended and I looked up at Narcissa with sweat pouring down my face and looking less than the perfect sister she remembered. I smiled my watery smile at her and let her envelope me in her warm arms. "Have you learned something tonight?" she asked sweetly, kissing my hair like the mother I never had. I nodded and snuggled deeper in her nightgown. "What did you learn?"

"Not to drink. It makes you feel like hell," I smiled, taking in her sweet, perfumed scent. She laughed and smoothed my hair again.

"It makes you look like it too. Come on. Let's get all this cleaned up and then it's off to bed, all right?" I nodded and followed her into the kitchen to clean up my mess. She wasn't really that bad, she just followed what her son did so she wouldn't get hurt by him, I guess.


	37. 20 Dollar Nose Bleed

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, they are Fall Out Boy and the song is 20 Dollar Nose Bleed.**

**Quiz time!**

**Favorite character? Why?**

**Least favorite character? Why?**

**What do you want to see happen soon or not so soon?**

**What house would you be in at Hogwarts? Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?**

XoXo

I woke up with a massive headache and a still nauseous stomach. Obviously last night had been one of the worst nights of my life. I opened my eyes and groaned; the sun was bright on my eyes and intensified my headache. I covered my eyes with my pillow and sighed, the light was _finally_ blocked out. A hard rap came at my door and I almost screamed, but caught myself. It was probably Draco and I didn't want to get into anymore trouble than I already was. I pulled the pillow from over my eyes and shoved it underneath my head quickly. "Come in!" I called as loudly as I could.

I was right. My _lovely_ cousin Draco stuck his blond, pointed face into my room and turned his nose up. "What are you still doing in bed?" he asked nastily, walking into my room. I shrugged and fixed my eyes on the wall behind him. "Get up, shower and get dressed. I want you downstairs in twenty minutes if not sooner." I nodded numbly and crossed one casted arm over the other. "Oh. And to do one nice thing for you, _episkey_."

There was a large crack and I screamed again, the headache returning. I gripped my arm and then moved it around. It was broken anymore. He had fixed my arm just like Tristan had fixed my leg the night before. I sighed and rolled out of bed, going to get ready for another hellish day.

XoXo

When I got out of the steaming shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and wiped off the foggy mirror. I looked at myself intently. I had a deep purple, almost black bruise over my left eye and another one right on top of my cheekbone on the right side of my face. My ice blue eyes were covered in pain and loneliness and something else I couldn't describe all on top of the red lines. My lips were pink and chapped; they weren't covered in a bright smile, but a dark frown. My sodden hair laid limp down my back and over one shoulder. A lot had happened in the three days since I first stepped in the Malfoy Manor. I wasn't the sometimes-smiling-always-torturing-my-brother-Acacia Lestrange anymore. I had become a hard shell of someone that used to laugh and smile.

I sighed and turned away from the mirror. I quickly got dressed and pulled my hair up into a sopping bun. I stepped out of the bathroom and made my way down the stairs with two minutes to spare. I made my way into the kitchen and it seemed like there was some sort of family meeting. Narcissa, Draco, Astoria, Scorpius and Tristan were all sitting around the table and looking as though they were being somewhat civil towards each other.

"Ah, Acacia, glad you could make it," Draco said smoothly, obviously trying to make nice with me. "Why don't you go sit down next to Tristan and my wife will make you some breakfast."

"Don't bother," I said as I sat down. "I'm not hungry." Narcissa, who was sitting across the table from me tensed and then shot a wary glance at me. "Anyway, what's this family meeting about?" Astoria cleared her throat, stood up and made her way to the stove. I looked around at everyone's solemn faces and understood that this wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Acacia and Tristan, you both will be spending the rest of the holidays with your Aunt Andromeda and her grandson Teddy. Go pace your things. We're leaving in an hour," Narcissa said harshly, making it known to us that it was final. I nodded and stood up with Tristan to go up to my room.

Once I got into my room a smile let loose on my face and a laugh exploded hysterically from my mouth. After only three days of living in this hell on earth, I was finally free and going to my Aunt and cousin's house. My real family's house! I skipped over to my bed, lay down on the floor and pulled my trunk out from underneath my bed. I sat down, opened it up and pulled out a quill and parchment, preparing myself to write a letter to James, Fred and Aspen, the first since leaving three days ago.

_Dear James,_

_How's Hogwarts? Well, I suppose you'd be at home now. It is the Christmas holidays after all. I hope you didn't miss me too much. I mean, I know I'm the center of your life and all, but don't think about me _too_ much, all right? Just kidding by the way, I know you don't think about me _all_ the time._

_Anyway, I'm writing to tell you that I'm coming back to Aunt Andromeda's today and sometime over the holiday's I want to see you and Fred and Aspen. Send back with a reply note or whatever when you get this. I miss all three of you! Tristan's just no fun to be around and I can't prank anyone!_

_Miss you,_

_Acacia Lestrange_

This went on for two more letters until I was finally done. I looked at my owl, Helena, and attached the three letters to her leg. "Take these to James Potter, Fred Weasley and Aspen Green. I don't know where they are, otherwise I would tell you. Oh, and I won't be here when you get back. I'll be at Andromeda's Tonks' house. She's my aunt you know?" I rambled, still tying the letters to her leg. She hooted knowingly and cocked her head to the side. I opened the window and let her go, waving to her as she disappeared.

"_Have you ever wanted to disappear?" _I sang under my breath, grabbing anything and everything I could find and shoving it into my trunk. _"And join a monastery, go out and preach young addicts straight. Who will I be when I wake up next to a stranger, on a passenger plane? Harmin' each other. Please take me back. Please take me back, oh, oh."_

I looked around my room, trying to find anything else that I would need. I pulled a shirt from my floor and shoved it in with the rest of my rubbish. A knock came at the door and I jumped the sharp noise cutting into the near silence. "Come in!" I called, knowing who it was already.

"What is all that banging? Are you tearing this room down?" Tristan laughed, slouching into my room.

"Shut it!" I laughed, throwing a pair of pants at him. He mock pouted and threw them back at me. "So, tell me the truth. Do you like annoying your little sister in _her_ room, or do you really not have anything better to do?'

"I don't have anything better to do," he answered, a smile on his lips. I stick my tongue out at him and went back to packing my things. He sauntered over to my bookshelf and poked around it for awhile. He pulled a book off of the bookshelf and turned back around to me, his eyebrows furrowed and he was obviously confused about something.

"What?" I asked as I stood up and dug in my closet for more clothing.

"You aren't taking this?" I turned around and my eyes automatically went to the brightly colored cover of _Alice In Wonderland_. I shook my head, not planning on doing _any_ academic learning during the remainder of the Christmas holiday. "Why not?"

"Because I don't read."

"Come on. Just read this book and I _promise_ you'll be in _love_ with reading! _Please_?" He was whining now and it was all I could do not to roll my eyes at my brother. I sighed and gave in, shoving the book into my trunk along with all of my other rubbish.

A knock came at the door and we both looked up, wondering whether a full hour had gone by without our notice. Tristan shrugged and stood up, wonderment spread across his face. He opened my door and there was Scorpius, my near silent second cousin. Tristan let him in and he sat down right in front of me. I stared at him incredulously, but didn't move back or anything.

"So, you two are leaving?" he asked like the little child he was. I nodded, but didn't open my mouth. How was I supposed to know if this little prat was spying on us for his father or not? "I wish you weren't. It's always been fun with you, Tristan. And I don't really know you, Acacia, but you seem fun."

"Yeah. That's what I am. Fun," I said skeptically. Obviously this little boy knew nothing about me. I was more than fun, I was absolutely hilarious! "What are you doing in here anyway?" Tristan pursed his lips and crossed his arms over his chest. I could tell he was gearing himself up for a fight between me and Scorpius.

"I just wanted to say goodbye. Is that all right?" he asked sheepishly, making me regret suspecting him of being as evil as his father.

"I guess. It's just a little odd, I guess. I mean, your father is completely set against us and you seem to be completely set with us. But you can't judge a person by their parents. I'm living proof of that." I smiled at him and he smiled back. He really wasn't that bad of a person. I guess.

"What are you talking about?" I looked back at Tristan, who had a look of utter confusion on his face. "From what I've heard, you're _exactly_ like our mother. Down to that evil temper of yours." I narrowed my eyes and tightened my jaw. I did _not_ have a temper.

Another knock cam at the door, but since the door was already open; Aunt Narcissa poked her head in. Scorpius jumped up and ran into her arms, gaining a hug. I scowled at him. If I had done that, I probably would have gained a smack on the cheek and possibly a cut lip. Funny how even after only three days, the rules and social standards of this house were stamped inside my brain.

"Acacia?" Narcissa asked sweetly, looking me straight in the eyes. "Are you ready to go, honey?"

"Why yes I am, darling," I hissed angrily. I heard her sharp intake of breath as soon as she was met by my ice cold hatred. I brushed past her, my trunk bouncing its way down the stairs behind me. Draco and Astoria were sitting in the kitchen having a quiet conversation over a cup of tea. I blew a kiss at them and waved. Astoria laughed and waved back, not catching the sarcastic quality of my "happy" farewell. I continued out the door, shrugging my coat on and walking outside.

I stepped just outside the massive front door and spread my arms out. I didn't care how much my head ached; I was finally free of this hell house! I laughed and smiled up at the bright heavens. I was going back to the way things were. I finally stopped, blew one last kiss at the house and skipped to Narcissa's car.

XoXo

When we arrived at Aunt Andy's house, I was filled with excitement. Narcissa stopped the car and I grabbed my things from the trunk of the car and bounded up the driveway. About halfway to the house, Teddy burst out of the house and barreled toward me. I giggled as he picked me up and sung me around, enveloping me in a giant bear hug. He set me down and kissed my hair, obviously as excited to have me back.

"You're back, Acacia! You're bloody well back!" he yelled, hugging me again.

"Yes, Teddy, I am back," I laughed, wrapping my arms around his waist. I was hit by the crushing force of how much I had missed both Teddy and Aunt Andy. They were my real family. Not Narcissa and her filthy Malfoy family.

I heard the front door slam and there was Aunt Andy. Her long hair was flying out behind her and a huge smile plastered onto her lips. I laughed and ran into her arms, warmth spreading throughout my body. "Oh, sweetie! We missed you!" Aunt Andy said loudly, squeezing me harder. 'Teddy even came back from France when he heard you were coming back! Isn't that wonderful?" I nodded, smiling and squirming out of her chokehold. She just laughed and let me go.

"Who are you?" Teddy spat from where he was standing. I turned around and saw Tristan standing with his bags at his feet. "Hey! Are you gonna answer me or not?!"

"Hey! Teddy! Knock it off!" I yelled back at him. He shut up and glared at Tristan. Aunt Andy moved from in front of me to beside Teddy, probably gearing up for some huge announcement of some kind. "Relax. He's just my brother." And with that I popped Tristan's earbuds from his iPod that I never gave back into my ears and walked into the house.

"_Permanent jet lag, please take me back, please take me back, please take me back. I'm a stray dog sick, please let me in, please let me in, the mat keeps tripping. Singing vows before we exchange smoke rings._

"_Give me a pen, call me Mr. Benzedrine but don't let doctor in, I wanna blow off steam. And call me Mr. Benzedrine and don't let the doctor, don't let the doctor in._

"_It feels like 14 carats but no clarity when I look at the man who would be king. The man who would be king goes toteh desert to sing war his dad rehearsed. Came back with flags on coffins and said we won, oh, we won._

"_Permanent jet lag, please take me back. Please take me back, please take me back. I'm a stray dog sick, please let me in. Please let me in, the mat keeps tripping. Singing vows before we exchange smoke rings._

"_Give me a pen, call me Mr. Benzedrine. But don't let the doctor in, I wanna blow off steam. And call me Mr. Benzedrine and don't let the doctor, don't let the doctor in._

"_Benzedrine, my, my, my Benzedrine. My Benzedrine now. Benzedrine, my, my, my Benzedrine. My Benzedrine now._

"_Only one good feeling that is the rest of the proof is on the television. On the._

"_Call me Mr. Benzedrine but don't let the doctor in, I wanna blow off steam. And call me Mr. Benzedrine but don't let the doctor, don't let the doctor in. Have you ever wanted to disappear?"_


	38. Junkies For Fame

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, they are Shinedown and the song is Junkies For Fame.**

**Guys! We have almost made it to 40 chapters! Isn't that crazy?! 40 chapters in 4 months! Yay!**

XoXo

I walked into the perfect white room that I had first stepped foot in last year. I looked at the clock on the wall and dropped my trunk. It was already noon. I sighed and turned around, facing Teddy with wide eyes. He smiled and raised his eyebrows, slouching deeper into the room. "I know what you're going to say so just don't say it!" I hissed, sitting on my bed and crossing my arms over each other.

"Fine. It's just weird is all, I guess," he said thoughtfully, choosing his words carefully. "You having a brother and everything."

"I've kind got used to it by now." I smiled at him though; he was just trying to be nice. Even though Tristan was my biological brother, I considered Teddy to be my brother anyway. "He's really nice once you get used to him."

"Yeah, I bet. If he's anything like you I can believe it!" With that he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder and started to carry me downstairs.

"Let me go!" I laughed, screaming a little bit. He just laughed evilly and then started to go faster. "Teddy! Put me down!" I was laughing so hard I was crying now, tears streaming down my battered face. He just shook his head and went even faster. I was gasping and laughing and screaming and trying to hit him forcefully, but nothing was working. He wouldn't put me down.

"Okay. I'll put you down, but only if you promise to close your eyes and not do anything to hurt me or anyone else!" he urged, stopping abruptly and almost throwing me off of his shoulders. I nodded fervently, only wanting to get down off of this sick ride! "I can't hear you and I want to make sure that you promise!"

"Okay, fine! I _promise_ to keep my eyes closed and not do anything to hurt you or anyone else." He smiled and then put his hand over my eyes. That caused me to pout and cross my arms. "I said I promised! You don't have to make sure I kept my promise!"

"Sorry, Acacia. It just so happens that with this certain surprise, I can't take any chances. If I do, Gran will probably kill me." I laughed at that and could just imagine his face. He was probably pouting, but with all seriousness on his face. He took my hand in his own and led me through darkness. I wasn't scared, just a little surprised that something was happening on my first day at Aunt Andy's. "Okay. Open your eyes."

"Fine," I said sulkily, opening my eyes and screaming at what I saw. It was James, Aspen, Fred and the rest of the Potters and Weasleys. I ran to James and gave him a hug; he laughed and hugged me back. "Aspen!" I screamed and hugged her, a huge smile on her face. And then there was Fred. I laughed and hugged him also, happy that I finally saw my friends again.

"What happened to your face?" James asked in the momentary confusion. I absentmindedly touched my face with my first three fingertips and realized that my face was still battered from the Malfoy beating. I hung my head and then came up with the perfect lie.

"I fell," I said sheepishly, looking James in the eyes underneath my lashes.

"Yeah, that sounds like something you do," Fred laughed, stepping over to me. I gave him a sarcastic evil glare.

"Shut it, Fred. I don't fall _all_ the time!" I complained, laughing through my scowl.

"No. Just most of the time," Aspen shrugged, a sly smile playing on her lips. My jaw dropped and I could feel blood rushing up to color my cheeks.

"C'mon. Let's go outside. We have _a lot_ to talk about!" James said, grabbing one arm while Fred grabbed the other and Aspen pushed my back.

"Wait! I need something! Let me go back inside!" I screeched, restraining against their desperate tries to get me outside. They suddenly stopped and looked at each other, struggling not to laugh. "What? Am I missing something?"

"Only if James goes with you." Aspen was smiling and I knew something was up. There was no way that they would send James upstairs with me unless they were planning something sinister.

"Why does James need to go with me if I'm just going up to my room to get something?" Fred just shrugged and pushed both me and James toward the house. I was kind of scared about what they were planning, but more excited to see it.

XoXo

James and I were up in my room. I was looking for Tristan's iPod and something to listen to it with. Frustration was hitting me hard and James was sitting quietly on my bed. Something that James just didn't do. Did something happen to him and the rest of them while I was gone for the three days, or was I just imagining that something was wrong?

"What's up? You're never this quiet," I asked from underneath the bed, trying to see if the iPod had fallen. It didn't.

"Nothing. Just kind of amazed at how much we all missed you," he said softly, messing with my bedspread.

"Yeah. Me too. Can you see if it's anywhere up there?"

"If what is anywhere up here?"

"Tristan's iPod. I had it like twenty minutes ago right up there and I'm not exactly sure where it went. I mean, it's not like an iPod can just get up and walk away, right?"

"Right. Well, it's not up here anyway. Maybe you should ask Tristan."

"Okay. Something is definitely wrong. You wouldn't willingly tell me to ask my brother anything. What's up? Hey! I found it! Now, we just need something to play music through." I crawled up from underneath my bed and saw him with a stupid little smile on his face and something in his hands. "What are those?"

"Speakers. Thought you might need them," he smiled, holding the speakers out to me. "But, I have one condition. We play the song that I want to be played."

"Fine." I rolled my eyes and held the iPod out to James. He obviously knew how to work it, because he didn't ask any questions and just played the song he wanted.

He opened his mouth and started to sing along with the deep voice coming through the speakers. _"Sunset, Broadway are all the streets I like. Neon billboards that make me feel alive. I don't think they take me serious, normal life makes me delirious."_ Hey looked at me with another smile and I automatically knew that this was not going to be pleasant. "Come on! I can't do this by myself! Join in!"

"No. I can't sing. I'm not doing this!" I protested, getting up on the bed with him. He smiled and started jumping.

"Don't worry, neither can I." I sighed and then joined in, jumping with him and singing the lyrics. _"Ever think of changin' your name, for all the attention you could gain? Has anybody told you your vain, bow down, bow down the sinners have the floor."_ I laughed and got down off the bed, thinking our game was done. He shook his head and pulled me back up, falling down on top of me. I pushed him off and looked up just as Aspen and Fred came into the room.

"Maybe we should . . ." Aspen said nervously, making to leave. Fred shook his head and grabbed her arm.

"This is part of the surprise," Fred said with a smile. Aspen's eyes widened and Fred pushed her up on the bed. We all started jumping and singing along with the song together at the top of our lungs. It was loud and off-key and exactly the way I wanted it.

"_Why are we just junkies for fame? Why because it's burned in our brains. When we wake and we need it to stay up. You know I like it, I've always been a junkie for fame. Why are just junkies for fame? Why get rich, get high, get drunk on your desire. Stand back, relax now watch me start a fire. I don't think they take me serious, normal life makes me delirious._

"_Ever think of changin' your name? For all the attention you could gain. Has anybody told you your vain? Bow down, bow down the sinners have the floor!_

"_Why are we just junkies for fame? Why because it's burned in our brains. When we wake and we need it to stay up. You know I like it, I've always been a junkie for fame. Why, why?_

_Ever think of changin' your name? So everyone will think you're a saint? Anybody told you, you ain't? Bow down, bow down the sinners want some more._

"_Why are we just junkies for fame? Why because it's burned in our brains. When we wake up and we need it to stay up. You know I like it, I've always been a junkie for fame. Whey are we just junkies for fame? Why because it's burned in our brains. When we wake up and we need it to stay up. You know I like it, I've always been a junkie for fame._

"_Why are we just junkies for fame? Why are we just junkies for fame? Why are we just junkies for fame? Why are we just junkies for fame?"_

We all collapsed in a giant, breathless, laughing heap and I knew that this was how it was going to be for the rest of my life. No matter how hard the Malfoys hit me, no matter how hard life got, I would always have my three best friends to fall back on.

"I knew you had my iPod! Give it back!" Tristan said angrily, bursting into my room and causing us to laugh even harder.

Oh yeah, and my brother. He's someone I guess I can fall back on too.


	39. Dear You

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, it is Josh Auer and the song is Dear You.**

**Sorry this one's so short! The next part will hopefully be longer!**

XoXo

A week later we were finally going back to Hogwarts. We were all on the train: James, Rose, Aspen, Albus, Fred, Scorpius, Tristan and I. We were waving to the adults and the children strewn about their feet. As soon as they were out of sight, I opened my trunk and dug through all of the rubbish in there to find my book. I finally found it and opened it up, trying to start reading.

"What are you reading?" James asked, nonchalantly, probably not believing that I could read and trying to mask it. I ignored him, just trying to get through at least a chapter of the godforsaken book. "Acacia?" he sing-songed, trying to get me to look up."Acacia? What book is that?"

"Shut up, James before I knock your teeth out," I sing-songed back, not looking up. He scooted backwards and Aspen and Fred laughed. "It's _Alice In Wonderland _if you _must_ know!"

"Oh! I love that book!" Aspen squealed, annoying me even more.

"Eep! I knew you would. Now, can you all shut it so I can _please_ read my book?" They all shut up so I guess that method worked, but then pillows cam out of nowhere and smacked me across the face. I slammed by book down and mock glared at all of them.

"Dogpile on Acacia!" Fred yelled, pushing me onto the ground and landing on top of me. I grunted, but then laughed. _This_ was what I had missed when I was gone.

Then James jumped on me and I couldn't breathe. When did these guys get so heavy? "Oomph! Guys, get off," I grunted, my lungs collapsing as I talked. "Guys! I can't breathe!"

"Wait, wait. Aspen needs to get on here," James laughed, trying to get Aspen down on top of him. Aspen shook her head and stepped farther away from me.

"Come on, guys," I gasped, trying to get air into my lungs so I could keep breathing. "I honestly can't breathe.

Right as I said that, our compartment door opened and I saw a familiar pair of shoes standing in front of me. It was Tristan and I could tell he was pissed off. "Get off of her!" he hissed, pulling James off of me and then Fred. I stood up, brushed myself off and then glared at my older brother. "I thought she said to get off of her. Now why wouldn't you listen to her?"

"Listen mate, just calm down," Fred said, trying to calm Tristan down. "We were just—"

"No, I don't care what 'you were just'," Tristan said gruffly, pulling me to his side. "You completely disregarded what she told you to do! Come on, Acacia, you're coming with me!" He pulled me out of the compartment, but I turned around, going back to my friends.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" I asked angrily, the first time I had gotten angry at him in over a week. "They were just having fun!"

"I don't want to see you get hurt!"

"Yes, Tristan! My three best friends are going to hurt me! We were just having some fun! Stop trying to be the good and perfect older brother! It really sucks and it's not you!" I stalked away from him and sat down in the compartment.

"Nice brother you have there," Aspen smiled, trying to make light of my stupid brother.

"Yeah. He is." I fell silent, throwing my book on the ground and looking out at the passing landscape.

XoXo

When we got to Hogwarts, it was all I could do not to let tears run down my face. I was still upset about Tristan. This entire time I thought that he was on my side, but he was just on the side that didn't get me hurt! Which was good, all except for now!

_Here's a thought  
It's all that we've got in the world  
If we let it be  
We're only as good as the fall_

And here's a note  
To say the words I couldn't say

Dear you  
I say that you're the only one for me  
Say that I will never ever leave  
Dear you  
I see the future growing old again  
Settle down with no other girl in the world

Here's a thought  
You're all that I've got in the world  
If I let you go  
I'm only as good as the fall

Dear you  
I say that you're the only one for me  
Say that I will never ever leave  
Dear you  
I see the future growing old again  
Settle down with no other girl in the world

Ooooo Aaaaaa  
No other girl in the world

Dear you  
I say that you're the only one for me  
Say that I will never ever leave  
Dear you  
I see the future growing old again  
Settle down with no other girl in the world  
Sincerely  
The one who gave his whole world for you  
The one who gave his whole heart to you  
Dear you  
I see the future growing old again  
Settle down with no other girl in the world


	40. Whataya Want From Me

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, it is Adam Lambert and the song is Whataya Want From Me.**

XoXo

That night we were sitting down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, eating and laughing. I was just sitting down quietly, trying to figure out what was due for tomorrow's school day when Raine Vondurri came over to me and plastered food down into my hair. I whipped my hair around and shoved potatoes into her face. Her jaw dropped and I laughed menacingly at her. This was what I had been waiting for all holiday! "How's you're food, Vondurri?" I asked coolly, sitting down and smiling at my friends. James laughed back and high-fived me.

"I don't know how is it, Lestrange?" Vondurri asked, shoving more food into my face. I grabbed a handful of food and started a full blown food fight. Fred jumped up on top of the table and screamed.

"FOOD FIGHT!" At with those two simple words, there was a full blown food war going on. I screamed every time a huge amount of food slapped my back, but laughed all the same. This was the most fun I had ever had at school before! But the fun was cut short when McGonagall came over to me and Vondurri, grabbed the collars of our robes and hauled us out of the Great Hall.

"I want this entire place cleaned up by any of those who participated in the food fight. No, make that I want _all_ of you to clean up the Great Hall. That means every single one of you and I want it done now! No magic!"

Vondurri and I were glaring at each from either side of McGonagall. I stuck my tongue out at her and she just crossed her arms and looked the other way. Which was perfectly fine with me. "And you two. You two can come with me!"

"But, Professor! I didn't do anything!" Vondurri complained.

"Like hell you didn't! You're the one that started it!" I yelled at her, gaining a hard jab in the back from McGonagall. "Ow!"

"Language, Lestrange! And Vondurri, if you think that I can't see everything from where I was sitting than you are sadly mistaken. Now, you both come with me and we will get this straightened out with both of you serving what you need to." I hung my head and glared at Vondurri, she deserved the detention, not me! What the hell did I do? That's right! I did nothing!

We both followed McGonagall up to her office in complete silence. It wasn't that we didn't want to talk. Believe me, if we could have talked or rather yelled at each other, we would have. But we both knew that we would get in even more trouble than we were going to now. When we arrived at a Gargoyle, McGonagall said, "Sibidius Killius." The Gargoyle nodded and McGonagall took us up the stairs.

We arrived in her office and she sat us down. "Now. Never before in all of my years as a teacher have I seen something that ridiculous! I don't know what your problems with each other are, but they must be resolved. And they will be resoled tonight! Do you understand me?!"

"Yes, Professor," I muttered under my breath, staring at my feet.

"Vondurri? Do you understand?" Vondurri looked over at me, giving me a death glare.

"Yes, Professor. I understand." I groaned inwardly, she didn't really expect McGonagall to believe that little half-hearted reply did she?

"Good." I guess she did, unfortunately. "Now, who started the food fight in there?"

"I already told you, Professor! It was Lestrange! She just walked up to me and put food in my hair. I had no choice but to throw food back at her because otherwise I would have been just defenseless!" I rolled my eyes, leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms.

"Is that true, Lestrange?!" McGonagall asked me sharply.

"Of course it's not true! I was sitting there quietly, just focusing on really nothing and then she shoved food in my hair! It was completely and utterly unneeded and I didn't understand what was going on. Of course, I put food in her hair because I didn't want to seem weak and unable to defend myself. She just continued with it! I swear she has some sort of a vendetta against me!" McGonagall looked at Vondurri sharply over her spectacles and then slammed a hand against the table.

"All right. Since neither of you are getting your stories straight together, I am going to have to call a witness in here." She walked over to one of the many moving portraits on the wall and whispered a command to one of the wizards. She sat back down and glared at us.

"But wait, what's going to happen to us?" Vondurri whined, slouching in her chair. She was such a prat and I couldn't stand her!

"Most likely? You both will get detention and then probably have to spend some quality time together to sort out your differences," McGonagall said baldly. I could see Vondurri pouting in her seat and inwardly smiled. "Wipe that smile off your face Lestrange!" Or not.

The doors to McGonagall's office opened up and James and Chloe stepped in. Why McGonagall would pick those two, I have no idea! They were both loyal to different persons, unless she thought that they would get along better than the either me or Vondurri. Which was probably true, now that I think about it.

"Now, I assume you both know why you are here?" McGonagall asked sweetly. More sweetly than I had ever heard, actually. I watched as James and Chloe nodded slowly. "All right, now, I want you to tell me what happened."

"Well, Acacia was sitting down with us and she was really quiet because you know, she was still upset about what happened on the train. And then she turned around I saw this huge glob of food implanted in her hair. And then she reached behind her, grabbed some potatoes and threw them at Raine," James said smoothly, looking ahead and not daring to look at me.

"Yeah. And Raine had told me that she wanted to do something to Acacia. I wasn't watching, so I didn't know exactly how it started, but I do know that it started with Raine. She had decided, I guess, to torture Acacia some more," Chloe said shakily, daring a side glance at Raine. Raine's face was dark with hate for both James and Chloe and I.

"All right, I think I've heard enough. Acacia, you have detention with me tomorrow at seven. And Vondurri, you have detention with me for the rest of the month. At seven. Both of you tomorrow!" I nodded and got up, but Vondurri still wasn't done.

"But Professor!" she screeched, standing up angrily, and leaning over the desk.

"Yes, Vondurri?" McGonagall answered calmly, not even looking up from her papers.

"This is totally unfair! I mean, Lestrange gets one night of detention and I get a whole month?! Where does that even begin to get fair?!"

"It's fair, Vondurri, because you started it. She was only trying to get back at you for what you started."

"Don't pretend that you don't play favorites, Professor. It's unbecoming." And with that, Vondurri walked out of the office, without turning around. My eyes widened and I left quickly with James and Chloe on my tail.

I sang as James caught up with me, not a sad song, but not a happy one either.

"_Hey, slow it down, whataya want from me? Whataya want from me? Yeah, I'm afraid, whataya want from me? Whataya want from me?_

"_There might've been a time when I would give myself away, oh once upon a time I didn't give a damn. But now, here we are, so whataya want from me? Whataya want from me?_

_Hey, slow it down, whataya want from me? Whataya want from me? Yeah, I'm afraid, whataya want from me?_

"_There might have been a time when I would give myself away. Oh, once upon a time I didn't give a damn. But now, here we are so whataya want from me? Whataya want from me?_

"_Just don't give up, I'm working it out. Please don't give in, I won't let you down. It messed me up, need a second to breathe. Just keep coming around. Hey, whataya want from me? Whataya want from me? Whataya want from me?_

"_Yeah, it's plain to see that baby you're beautiful. And there's nothing wrong with you. It's me, I'm a freak. But thanks for lovin' me, 'cause you're doing it perfectly._

"_There might have been a time, when I would let you slip away. I wouldn't even try, but I think you could save my life._

"_Just don't give up, I'm workin' it out. Please don't give in, I won't let you down. It messed me up, need a second to breathe, just keep comin' around. Hey, whataya want from me? Whataya want from me?_

"_Just don't give up on me. I won't let you down. No, I won't let you down._

"_Just don't give up, I'm workin' it out. Please don't give in, I won't let you down. It messed me up, need a second to breathe. Just keep coming around, hey, whataya want from me?_

"_Just don't give up, I'm workin' it out. Please don't give in, I won't let you down. It messed me up, need a second to breathe. Just keep coming around. Hey, whataya want from me? Whataya want from me? Whataya want from me?"_


	41. Mercy

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, it is Duffy and the song is Mercy.**

**Guys, we are at chapter 41! Isn't that crazy?! Anyway, so I need some more OC's for this story. Here's a form so you can send them in and have your characters in the shining light!**

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Appearance:**

**Year:**

**House:**

XoXo

The week dragged on through classes, schoolwork, Quidditch games and practices and just dreading the detention that I had supposedly earned five days earlier. When eight o'clock rolled around on Saturday night, I left my friends and walked silently up to McGonagall's office, not excited about having to spend my night with Vondurri. I walked down the long, silent hallways, dread filling my body until I felt a familiar presence somewhere beside me.

"Hey, stranger!" Dalton called, skipping up next to me. I rolled my eyes and just kept walking, not wanting to tell him I had gotten detention. Even though I hadn't talked to him in over a month, I was still wary about telling people that I was the one that started the food fight. "Where are you going, Lestrange?"

"McGonagall's office," I muttered, not looking at him. He shoved me with his shoulder, obviously glad to be around me without James lurking nearby.

"Why?"

"You know that amazing food fight that happened like a week ago?" Dalton nodded and smirked, I could guess that he already knew that I had been in the middle of it. "Yeah, that was all me and Raine Vondurri."

"No way!" he exclaimed, a smile spreading all over his lips. "That was amazing, mate!"

"Thanks. Unfortunately, both Vondurri and I have detention together. The good thing is, I only have it for tonight, and she has it for the rest of the month." Dalton nodded and continued to walk beside me silently. It looked like he was going to follow me to McGonagall's office, and I wasn't too sure how I felt about that.

"I noticed you're playing Quidditch. You're a pretty good Keeper. I would've put you on Chaser though," he laughed, turning his dark brown eyes to my blue ones.

"Thanks. I think," I said uncertainly, my smile wavering a little bit. I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed his company in the months that we didn't spend together. "Anyway, don't you play?"

"Nah, I never was one for sports. I like reading and spending time on my schoolwork. My older sister loves sports though. She can't get enough of the outside." I nodded at this, but couldn't say anything. I didn't know enough about Tristan to say whether he liked sports or not. "What about you? I never took you for someone who liked sports much."

"Eh, I didn't much before this, but it's not that bad. I don't know whether my brother likes it or not, though," I shrugged, looking straight ahead and then smiling at Dalton.

"You have a- -"But he was cut off by a certain Vondurri making her way down the hall.

'Man, Lestrange, you sure do get around a lot, don't you?" she asked nastily, looping her arm around mine. I ripped mine away from hers and growled at her. "Not very nice, are we?"

"Whatever, Vondurri. Like you've ever given a damn before," I snarled.

"Language, Lestrange, language. I mean, I know that you were raised on the streets, but do you really have to act like it? Not all of us like that crude language."

"Shut up, Vondurri! I don't see you trying to perfect anything else, so why try to perfect me?!" She raised her eyebrows as though she was surprised to see me so angry.

"Well, let's see. Because everything else is perfect, you are just equivalent to the dirt underneath my fingernails," she sniffed, picking at her nails. I clenched my jaw, not daring to make a sound or a move, knowing that it would end very badly. "Aw, someone's learning to keep their temper in check. Pity. I would have liked to have a little bit of fun tonight. Oh, well."

"Goodbye, Dalton," I said through clenched teeth. I started to sing a song to keep my temper at bay. _"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love you, but I gotta stay true. My moral's got me on my knees. I'm begging please, stop playing games._"

"God, can you not sing?! My ears are bleeding already!" Vondurri complained with a look of disgust all over her stupid little face.

"Oh, you mean sing louder?" I opened my mouth wider and started to sing louder. _"I don't know what this is, but you got me good. Just like you knew you would. I don't know what you do, but you do it well. I'm under your spell."_

"Girls! You're late!" McGonagall said sharply. I hung my head and walked up to her. She pointed me to one side of the room and Vondurri to the other. "Your task tonight is to clean this entire office. I want it spotless and I want no bickering! You must do this together or suffer _my_ consequences. Good luck!"

Acacia rolled her eyes and set to work. For being a woman, McGonagall's office was very messy. She started rubbing at the little trinkets with her sleeve, singing as she went to help pass the time. _"You got me begging you for mercy, why won't you release me? You got me begging you for mercy, why won't you release me? I said release me!"_

"Did you not understand me when I told you not to sing earlier? I don't enjoy hearing a dog howl at the moon while I work _diligently_!" Vondurri screeched from where she was sitting. I wheeled around to face her, anger biting its way through me.

"What did you call me?!" I hissed at her, advancing with long, angry strides.

"I believe that I called you a dog!" With that I smacked her hard across the face, leaving an angry red hand print on her pale face. I could see tears spring up in her eyes surprisingly. "What the bloody hell was that for?" she whispered with tears in her voice.

"If you ever call me a dog again then I would sleep with one eye open!" I turned back to my work, singing quietly underneath my breath. _"Now you think that I will be something on the side. But you got to understand that I need a man who can take my hand. Yes I do." _I smiled at her while I sang through clenched teeth.

She rolled her eyes and groaned, going back to her work. I sat at McGonagall's desk, trying to figure out what I could clean there. Vondurri moved from where she was working and moved over to a random alcove in the office. The doors opened and a large stone basin came out of nowhere. "What is that?" Vondurri asked shakily, stepping away from it.

"Gee, I think it's something to wash your face in!" I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes and walking closer to it.

"What are you doing? Something could pop out of there and kill you, Lestrange!"

"Are you worried about me, Vondurri?" I sneered as I walked closer to it. I peered in and felt my eyes widen. It was full of little white things dancing around in what looked like water.

"What? What is it? I knew it! Something is gonna jump out of there and then the both of us are gonna die! I can't die, Lestrange. I'm too young and I have so much life left to live and I just can't die!" Vondurri was basically crying now and it was all I could do not to mock her.

"Calm down, Vondurri. It's just little white things swirling around. Unless they're snakes and they're debating whether to jump out and suck your face off!" Vondurri screamed and I laughed mirthlessly, singing while I danced around the office. _"I don't know what this is but you got me good, just like you knew you would. I don't know what you do but you do it well, I'm under your spell. You got me begging you for mercy, why won't you release me? You got me begging you for mercy, why won't you release me? I said you better release me."_

"What is going on in here girls?" McGonagall asked harshly, walking into her office with a dark look on her face. "It looks wonderful in here! You two can go. Thank you! Same time next week, Vondurri!"

I nodded and walked out of the office singing quietly under my breath while Vondurri took another way out. _"I'm begging you for mercy, just why won't you release me? I'm begging you for mercy, you got me begging, you got me begging, you got me begging. Mercy, why won't you release me? I'm begging you for mercy, why won't you release me? You got me begging you for mercy. I'm begging you for mercy, I'm begging you for mercy, I'm begging you for mercy, I'm begging you for mercy. Why won't you release me? You got me begging you for mercy, you got me begging down on my knees. I said you got me begging, begging you for mercy. You got me begging!"_

I skipped the rest of the way to the Gryffindor common room, happy that my detention was over and I could go back to regular life. But something happened that made me stop, a brilliant plan that would get people to stop saying that I was like my mother.


	42. Dangerous Kind

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, it is The Rasmus and the song is Dangerous Kind.**

XoXo

The next day, all of us Quidditch players were out on the pitch doing drills. We were basically in a circle passing the Quaffle back and forth. It was one of the worst drills I had ever heard of. What was this supposed to do for the Beaters? Oh, wait, the Beaters can learn how to have quicker reflexes….Never mind. James had the ball and was whipping towards….Crap! He was whipping it to me! I felt my nose crack underneath the force of the ball. Tears gathered into my eyes and blood dripped from my nose into my open mouth.

"Lestrange! Can we please pay attention! We have a match against Slytherin tomorrow and we will not lose!" Dagan yelled at me. I hissed in pain and clutched my nose, tears mixing in with the blood now. "Lestrange, since you dropped the Quaffle, you can go and retrieve it!" I rolled my eyes, but went down anyway.

I landed on the ground quickly, looking around for the godforsaken Quaffle that had hit me unceremoniously on the nose. I found it and picked it up, throwing it back and forth between my hands, trying to stall. I wanted my anger to at least abate a notch before I did something I really regretted.

"Lestrange! What is taking you so long?!" Dagan called from above me. I rolled my eyes and mounted my broom again, flying up to where Dagan was. "That's better, now, over to the goals."

I flew over to the goals, anger running through me at full speed. He was lucky I didn't punch him full in the mouth. I turned to face him, a smile playing on my lips. "Do you need the Quaffle back, Dagan?" I asked sweetly, batting my eyelashes.

"Why thank you, Lestrange. Now, I want everyone to - -." He was cut off by an angry Quaffle thrown at him. I could hear the cartilage crack and felt satisfaction instead of anger.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Lestrange?!" Leighton asked angrily. I shrugged and looked away, getting ready to save some goals.

"If that's how you're going to act, Lestrange, you can leave the pitch!" Dagan yelled at me through his laced fingers. I turned my broom around to face him, my eyes cold with anger and my hair whipping around my face.

"Excuse me; I am afraid that you have no jurisdiction to place me off of the team because I am the best and only Keeper that you have!" I yelled at him, throwing some statistics at him. I probably shouldn't have yelled at him, but I really had no choice. If he's going to threaten to throw me off the team, I definitely had a right to do something to him! He sighed, wiped the blood off of his face and then we started having practice.

XoXo

At the end of practice, in the changing room, Dagan had called a meeting with all of us. He was in a better mood once he saw how much better we had gotten. Fred and James were goofing off with some girl that I recognized from somewhere, but couldn't put my finger on it.

"All right team! Could work today, after we got over the little hitch in the beginning! Now, I want you all to get a good's night sleep tonight and get ready for the game tomorrow. And don't forget about the annual Quidditch ball on Friday!" Dagan yelled as the rest of us went back to changing.

I was frozen. A Quidditch ball? Why hadn't I known about this and where the heck was I supposed to get a dress from? And now that we had a ball I couldn't do my plan anytime soon! "Did you two know about this ball thing?" I whispered to James and Fred. They both shrugged.

"What's the big deal? It's an exclusive ball thingy that we get to go to," Fred laughed, pulling his robes over his head.

"Yeah. I don't understand why you're so worried about it. Calm down, Acacia," James sighed, pulling his shirt on.

"You guys are guys, you wouldn't understand why we're so worried about this!" the girl that James and Fred were goofing off with earlier said heatedly behind me.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I know who you are," I said politely while trying to hide how wary I was of her. I mean, the last time I met two new girls; they turned out to be total bitches and I wasn't about to go back down that path.

"Abigail Silverstone," she replied quietly. "Abby."

"Oh. Acacia Lestrange. Though you probably knew that already." She giggled at that and I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why are you laughing? _Everyone_ in this school knows who I am!"

"No, I know that, I was just laughing because not everyone has to say that. It's kind of funny that you, the girl that doesn't want anyone to know who she is has to say that." I shook my head and laughed.

"Yeah, totally funny. Hey, do you guys want to do something after we're done changing?" I asked James and Fred, listening to see if she left me alone yet.

"Sure. We'll talk to you once you're done changing," James answered, turning around. I nodded and went over to my locker. I pulled all my clothes on and started to sing the song in my head.

"_You got me in this situation; you got me backed against the wall. Caught in a web of your creation. I bet you set me up to fall."_ I pulled my robes over my head, excitement catching up to me. I got to go to a ball that no one else got to go to! Well, unless they were Quidditch players. I got to dress up and prance around like some princess. Maybe I could get a dress out of Narcissa. Who was I kidding? She'd absolutely love it if I dressed up! _"Once I thought about it, I figured out your wicked ways. There's no doubt about it, you'd sell your soul to seal the case."_

XoXo

James and Fred and I were walking up to the Gryffindor Common Room, going to get Aspen so we could tell her about the amazing news we had. "So, Fred, are you going to ask Aspen to the ball?" James said teasingly, punching his cousin on the arm.

"What are you talking about?" Fred asked angrily, rubbing the place where James had just hit him. "And that really hurt by the way!"

"You'll get over it. And if you ask Aspen then we could all go together and it could be a friend night!" James said excitedly. Fred's face broke into a smile and then it disappeared as soon as he saw something behind me.

"What? What are you looking at?" I asked, my voice shaking a little bit. With everything in this school, how was I supposed to know what was happening behind me? I felt to hands grip my waist and then squeeze. I yelped and jumped up, facing my brother.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?!" I screamed hitting him on the shoulder, hurting my own fist instead.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, winking at James and Fred. Fred gave him a high five while James had an ugly scowl on is face. "What's up with you, Potter?"

"I don't know, Riddle. Why don't you tell me?!" James said hotly, turning around and walking up to the Gryffindor Common Room. I rolled my eyes and turned to Tristan.

"I have to go. Sorry," I whispered, hugging his waist. He nodded and hugged me back. "Hey! Do you play Quidditch?"

"Yeah. I'm a Chaser, why?"

"Are you coming to the ball?"

"Why would I miss it?"

"Fine! I'll see you there, 'kay?" He nodded as I ran away, chasing after James. I was singing the song as I went, I just felt like it fit in so well. _"You're the dangerous kind, now look what you've done to me. What you've done to me baby. You've got a criminal mind; your motive is to plant a seed. Now I'd kill for you, baby!"_

XoXo

When I got up to the common room, James was sitting on one of the couches, playing a Muggle card game with Aspen and Fred. I sat down next to him and just watched; realizing that it was the card game Bull and James was winning. As soon as James won, he turned his head to look at me and smiled. "Now you're in a good mood. What the hell was wrong with you back there?" I asked angrily.

"Okay, so I know I shouldn't have run away, but he still kind of annoys me,' he explained, not looking me in the eyes.

"Yeah? Why? I thought you were fine with him when you found out that we were related," I said, questions running through my brain.

"I did too. But I guess he still kind of annoys me."

"Whatever. You make no sense."

I smiled at Aspen who looked insanely happy. "Why are you so happy?"

"Because I just found out that I can go to the Quidditch ball if someone asks me, and guess who just asked me!" she said quickly, words flying out of her mouth.

"Fred!"


	43. Call Me Irresponsible

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, it is Michael Buble and the song is Call Me Irresponsible off of the album by the same name.**

**So, I'm gonna do the ball in sixth year because it would make it more fun. So, Aspen and Fred are together, Dagan and Acacia are together (I know, who knew), Tristan and Abigail are together, James and Raine are kinda together, kinda not, and I don't think there's anymore relationships that need to be known. But if there is, PM me!**

XoXo

I was sitting on my bed, my hair getting pulled out as Abigail Silverstone was piling my hair on top of my head. I could feel tears pooling into my eyes, but Aspen wasn't letting me cry because it would make the make-up that she had spent an hour on completely run. I was trying not to let the butterflies in my stomach make me too nervous otherwise I wouldn't be able to do anything but try not to puke all night. I was going with Dagan, the boy that I had fallen in love with. I know I'm sixteen and I'm in love, crazy right?

"Acacia! Would you please stop moving your head! You're making this harder than it needs to be!" Abigail said, ripping another piece of hair up. I winced and groaned. "Oh, shut it, it can't hurt that bad."

"Abby, you're not the one that is getting their hair ripped out of their head!" I complained, touching my head tenderly.

"All right, guys. How do I look?" Aspen asked, coming up to meet us. I looked her up and down and could not believe how gorgeous she looked.

Her gown was full and a light black with silver jewels bedazzling the front of it. The bottom of her gown was cinched up in a few places with a few silver crystals making it really shine. Her make-up looked absolutely amazing with her gown and her hair was straight and up in a bun. She looked absolutely gorgeous. I would be surprised if Fred could keep his hands off of her.

"Oh my God, 'Pen! You look amazing!" I screeched, jumping up and hugging her! She sighed and let me go, smoothing down the front of her gown. I laughed and turned to look at Abby who had absolute wonderment all over her face.

"Wow! Where did you find that?" Abby asked breathlessly. Aspen shrugged and went in front of the mirror.

"Do you really think it looks good?" she asked, turning around to me and Abby. We nodded vigorously, chorusing how good she looked in it. She sighed and turned around, hugging me. "Do you think Fred will like it?"

"Like it?! He'll love it!" I screamed, jumping up and down and hugging her. She laughed and then turned to me.

"We have an hour! You'd better get your hair done so I can fix your make-up and then you can get your gown on!" Aspen said excitedly. "You too, Abby! You both want to look good for Dagan and Tristan!"

We both sighed and turned back around. Abby went back to ripping my hair out and I went back to wincing and groaning whenever my hair was pulled out. Finally she was done and my tender scalp was free from all pressure. I went over to the mirror and looked at my image in the mirror. My hair was absolutely perfect and I was excited to get my gown on. Aspen rushed over, swept some blush over my cheekbones, dabbed some eye makeup over my eyes, drew some eyeliner underneath my eyes and pulled the mascara through my eyelashes. I looked myself over and decided that it was as good as it was ever going to get.

"Acacia, you look absolutely, positively hot!" Aspen said excitedly, giving a hug and rumpling her gown in the process.

"You think so?" I giggled, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear and biting my lip.

"I think that the world had better watch out because here comes Acacia Lestrange!" Abby laughed, pulling me onto the bed. I giggled and pushed her off.

"All right. Princess Acacia has to go get her gown on!" Aspen said, calling Abby off. I sighed and went over to the closet by my bed and pulled the long gown out. I went into the closet, pulled the doors shut and ripped off my clothing. I was nervous about putting the full-length gown on. I didn't even know how it would look on me. Narcissa had sent it last night and I hadn't gotten a chance to try it on.

I sighed and slipped the burgundy cloth over my legs and up over my torso. It finally settled right underneath above my heart area. I tried to zip the back up by myself but it didn't work out. I sighed nervously and opened the closet door, the gown spilling into the room and touching the floor. I picked up the front with both of hands and walked over to where Aspen and Abby were standing.

"Oh my God, Acacia! You look absolutely stunning!" Aspen said excitedly. I felt my face contort in nervousness and sat my hand down on my stomach. My heart was beating excitedly and I couldn't help but smile.

"What do you think, Abby? Does it look all right?" I asked sheepishly, looking into the mirror. I looked over at Abby when she didn't answer and all I saw was her jaw on the floor. "I'll take as a yes. Oh! I almost forgot. I need the back to be zipped up. Some help?"

"Oh, yeah. Here." Abby zipped the back of my dress up and then stepped back. I turned around to look at Aspen and she had my locket held out in front of her.

"I think it's time to put your locket back on," she said, holding the gold locket out for me. I smiled and nodded, holding the gold locket with our family's crest in it. I looked at the Latin words at the bottom. Mihi parta tueri. _I guard that which is mine._ What did I guard? My heart, my friends, my family? Nothing really concerned me out of those three things.

"Thanks, Aspen. It means a lot," I said sweetly, hugging my best friend. She smiled, but I could see tears in her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just; we're all grown up now. We're going to a ball and getting ready to have fun with our boyfriends. When did all this happen?" she asked, wrapping her arms around me.

"I don't know. Come on. Dagan said he wanted pictures. I have to get my shoes on, still," I said, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her to my bed.

"Oh, hey. I had a question about the locket," Aspen said suddenly. I nodded, looking at her. "What does mihi parta tueri mean?"

"What?"

"It's on your locket."

"Oh, that. It means I defend what is mine. Or I guard what is mine, either way works." Aspen nodded and then fell silent.

The closet opened again and Abby came out, and she was wearing her gown. It was bright purple and had a lacy texture along with silver and black embellishments. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Her blond hair was loosely curled and she had a huge smile. We were finally all ready to go down and meet all of our gorgeous boys and take pictures.

XoXo

I was making my way down the stairs, I was the last one to go and I was probably the most nervous. I had a hand sitting on my stomach and another hand on the railing. My heels were clicking in time with my heart and my hair was lying across my shoulder. I finally reached the bottom and saw Dagan sitting down on the sofa and playing with his fingers. He looked up as I stood at the bottom and walked over to me, his long strides making it half the distance it should have been.

"You look amazing, Lestrange," he whispered in my ear, tickling it. I laughed and hugged him, hearing a picture being taken somewhere in front of me. I turned to look at them and it was my brother. Of course.

"What are you doing?!" I screeched, covering my face with my hands.

"Look up at Dagan, Acacia!" Tristan called, directing me for the pictures. I laughed and complied.

I looked into Dagan's gorgeous grey eyes and smiled. He was drawing me in. "And it's the alluring Acacia Lestrange," he said with a laugh. I laughed back and looked at the camera. I was excited; this was our first real dance together.

"Hey! No calling my sister alluring!" Tristan said angrily, putting the camera down.

"I can call her whatever I want! Such as this. My angelic Acacia Lestrange has finally fallen for me," Dagan said, causing all of us to laugh. We knew that he was just calling my brother out to see if he could get my brother really angry.

"Okay. And my handsome Dagan Laud has decided to escort me to the prestigious ball," I said with a smile playing on my lips.

"All right. Fine. Can we please get out of here and down to the ball?! We're going to be late!" James said moodily, his arm around Raine's shoulders. They both looked kind of stiff and I wondered if they were going through a rough patch. I looked at Dagan and nodded. I felt his strong arm slip around my waist and started walking, my legs walking in time with him.

XoXo

Once we were down in the Great Hall, Longbottom instructed all team captains and their dates to come to the middle of the floor. We were up for dancing first. The song started to play and it was all I could do to not sing along.

"_Call me irresponsible. Call me unreliable. Throw in undependable, too_." We were gliding across the floor, our feet moving together like some predictable battle of wills. A smile spread across my face and I could feel Dagan's firm arms around my waist just guiding me where to where I needed to be. _"Do my foolish alibis bore you? Well, I'm not too clever, I. I just adore you."_

Dagan's substantial muscles lifted me up off of the ground and spun me around. I laughed and nervous butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I was comfortable again when my feet touched the ground and we were back to gliding across the floor. _"So, call me unpredictable. Tell me, I'm impractical. Rainbows, I'm inclined to pursue."_

I could feel everyone's eyes following us, but I was gazing into only Dagan's. He was smiling at me and I felt my insides melt. I was absolutely and irrevocably in love with him and it had taken me this long to realize that. _"Call me irresponsible. Yes, I'm unreliable. But it's undeniably true that I'm irresponsibly mad for you."_

I laughed. Nothing could bring me down off of my high horse right now. I was excited. Everyone was watching us and I couldn't help but bathe in the light of that. I was absolutely happy to be here in Dagan's company with nothing else touching else. _"Do my foolish alibis bore you? Girl, I'm not clever, I. I just adore you. Call me unpredictable. Tell me, I'm so impractical. Rainbows, I'm inclined to pursue. Go ahead, call me irresponsible. Yes, I'm unreliable. But it's undeniably true, I'm irresponsibly mad for you. You know it's true. Oh, baby its true."_

The song ended and we were finally done dancing. I laughed as we all bowed or curtsied and then walked over to where our friends were sitting. We all sat down at the long tables that were lining the Great Hall and started talking. Dagan's hand was wrapped around mine and I was smiling from ear to ear.

"Dagan, how long did it take you to teach Lestrange to dance like that? I can hardly imagine that she picked that up on her own," Vondurri asked sweetly, leaning across the table. She winked at me and I felt blood rush up to my face and color it bright red.

"Raine…."James sighed angrily, holding his head in his hands.

"What? It was a simple question!" Raine said, looking at him. "You know, there was a time where you agreed with everything that I said about _her_. What changed your mind, James?"

"The fact that you're a bitch and can't control yourself!" James said angrily, getting up. "I'll be back."

I looked at Dagan and he nodded, letting me follow James. I ran after him, my gown in my hands and my heels clicking on the stones. He stopped at an alcove and hung his head, his hands running through his hair.

"Hey. Are you okay?" I asked, settling myself next to him.

"I'm fine. I just need a break from her," he said exhaustedly. I sighed and put my hand on his back and started to rub it. "I'm surprised you could tear yourself away from your boyfriend long enough to come after me."

"If you want me to go back, I will!" I said angrily, standing up. I started to walk away, but he grabbed my wrist, pulling me back. He was standing up and looking absolutely handsome in his suit.

"Please don't go. I need you here," James said quietly. I started to struggle against his grip, but he wasn't letting go.

"Don't say that."

"But it's true."

"James. There was a time when if you would have wanted me to stay and kiss you and console and keep quiet about it, then I would have. But you threw that time away when you started to date Vondurri." His eyes were downcast and I could hear music starting up again. "I have to go back. You should come back too."

"Acacia…." But I had already turned away. He ran up to me, his shoes stomping on the hard ground. I turned around and felt his warm lips caress mine. He was kissing me tenderly, softly. I gave in and kissed back, wanting to give in. He started to kiss harder, pushing his lips onto mine. It was only when his tongue slipped between my teeth and jarred me alert to what I was doing, that I opened my eyes and stepped away. I slapped him and felt my eyes widen.

"What are you doing?! I have a boyfriend, James! I love him and…and you're not going to change that!" I ran away from him, my heels clicking and stopped only when I was sure he wasn't following me. I felt my lips and felt a tingling spread through me. So maybe I did like that he kissed me, but I wasn't about to let onto that.

XoXo

**A/N: So, what happens next? Will Dagan find out about the forbidden kiss and will Dagan and Acacia be over? Come back to find out! R&R!**


	44. Lestrange Nightmare

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. **

**This is one of the first ones that I haven't used lyrics for! Yay for me! Haha, I hope you liked it and the next chapter is back to the twelve-year-olds.**

**I need something from you guys, Kay? I need some ideas for a few oneshots or only one or something. What should I do? I will honestly do anything you ask me to. I am _that_ desperate!**

XoXo

I quickly walked back to where the rest of my friends were sitting and sat down next to Dagan, smoothing my dress out of wrinkles. I looked at Aspen and signaled with my head and then did the same for Abby. They both stood up and left the table, grabbing me before they left. "We'll be right back," Aspen whispered to all of our boys that were left behind.

They both pulled me into the lavatory and I sank down on my knees and put my head in my hands. It took me a little while to realize that I was shaking all over. "All right. What's up and why did you call this meeting?" Aspen said quickly. "The dancing's about to start and I am _not_ going to miss it."

"James and I kissed," I sobbed, tears coming down my cheeks.

"What?!" Abby exclaimed, her eyes wide. Aspen dropped down on the ground next to me and gave me a hug.

"Well, I went out to go and get him and then he was like 'I'm surprised you could get away from your boyfriend long enough to come out here.' And I was like 'If you don't want me here then I can go back and leave you here.' And then he said that he wanted me there and I told him not to say that and he said that it was true and then I told him that if he wanted me to kiss him then he should have when he had the chance. And I got up to leave and then he grabbed me and he kissed me!" This all came out in a rush and it was all I could do to not get up and start pacing. Abby just looked at me with those big eyes of hers and Aspen got up. "What are you doing?"

"Did you like it?" she asked bluntly. I stood up and went over to the door, getting ready to leave. "You aren't leaving until you tell me! Did you like it and did you kiss him back?!"

"I have to go back out there. Dagan's probably wondering where I am," I said, opening the door and walking out. I took a deep breath, smoothed my dress down and plastered a smile onto my face.

XoXo

"Where have you been? We haven't been able to talk at all," Dagan whined next to me. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. I opened my eyes and looked up, James was standing behind me.

"Why don't we talk now?" I asked, biting my lip, knowing that he never wanted to talk.

"Why don't we just do this?" He pressed his lips against mine and I felt the flutter of guilt flash through me. I pulled away and looked down at my empty plate. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied, looking over at James. He was watching me intently and not paying attention to Vondurri dancing with a random guy. "I just feel a little - -."

"Acacia. Dance with me?" he asked boldly, not even caring that Dagan was sitting right next to me. I bit my lip and looked over at Dagan, praying that he would say no. Dagan nodded and James stood up, beckoning for me to follow him.

We went out onto the dance floor where they were playing a slow song. Perfect. That was just my luck. He put his hands on my waist and I wrapped mine around his neck. To my despair people were staring at us. Probably wondering whether we were finally together or not. I glared at him through my eyelashes but he was absolutely beaming. "Why are you so stiff? Loosen up a little!" he said excitedly, gliding me across the floor.

"James! Could you please stop! I am trying to have the perfect Cinderella moment and you are ruining it!" I screeched, looking into his green eyes.

"How am I ruining it?" he asked skeptically as though he had no idea that I was here with Dagan and not him. "I mean, sure we kissed, but I think your pretty boy boyfriend can get over it."

I looked back at Dagan and saw that he was staring at us intently. "James. He is incredibly jealous. The only reason why he let me dance with you was because he knew that that would make me happy. If he knew about our kiss, we would be over and done with. And, quite frankly, there is no way that you are ruining this for me!"

"Oh, really? Because mum always told me I could do _anything_ I set my mind to."

"Can you please be serious at least once in you life!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because that's way to boring. And I would be a stickler like you!"

"I am _not_ a stickler!" I hissed, glaring at him. He just laughed and dipped me. He pulled me back up and I felt a flicker of annoyance along with anger. "Besides. If I was as lax as you are, then I would never get anything done."

"And what's so wrong with that?" he asked as the song changed into something faster. Just my luck. "I mean, if everyone was as uptight as you are, fun would be outlawed."

"I am not uptight!" I growled, dancing in beat with the music.

"No. You _weren't_ uptight. But then you decided to date that serious Dagan bloke and everything changed. Didn't it?" he asked, stopping and just staring at me. I fell silent, not thinking of anything to say because he was absolutely right. "That wasn't a rhetorical question. I want an answer."

"Fine. But if you hadn't started dating Vondurri, we wouldn't be in this situation now would we?" I asked harshly, trying to dance again. But James was practically unmovable. I jumped when I heard Dagan's voice behind me.

"Would you mind moving away from my girlfriend, _James?"_ Dagan asked scathingly. James looked as though he was about to leave but then he gained new courage.

"No," I whispered, willing him not to do this.

"Actually, I would," James said boldly. It was only then that I realized that the music had stopped. I was scared now. I knew what Dagan would do and I knew that his anger would be taken out on me. "I believe that I would like to dance with your dear Acacia for a few songs more."

I shook my head and closed my eyes, tears squeezing out from beneath their tight closures. I didn't want anyone else to know what Dagan was capable of. To me it was my own little secret. I looked into James eyes for a split second, trying to communicate to him that I needed him to stop. But he didn't get it.

"James. I would like to dance with Dagan," I said calmly and evenly, trying to avert the situation that was about to happen.

"No. Actually, I want to dance with you some more. Let's go." James started to dance and I could see the anger light in Dagan's face.

"James. I said no! Let me go!" But it was too late. Dagan used his long strides to stalk over to me and James. I started to tremble with fear. I could feel myself start to fall, but James' strong arms kept me standing up. Dagan pulled James away from me and unceremoniously fell onto the ground. "Dagan! Stop! Don't hurt him!" I screamed from where I was sitting.

"Shut up!" he yelled at me, smacking my face with a loud snap. Pinpricks of light appeared in front of my eyes and I could feel heat searing my cheek. I opened my eyes and I could see James, Tristan and Dagan wrestling on the ground. They had saved me from further torment and my Cinderella night had been turned into a Lestrange nightmare.

XoXo

**A/N: So, what happens next? Will Dagan find out about the forbidden kiss and will Dagan and Acacia be over? Come back to find out! R&R!**


	45. Lisztomania

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. I don't own the song either. They are Phoenix and the song is Lisztomania. **

**All right everybody, this is their third year summer. I kinda got bored with the whole second year thing and I can actually start having some romance between Acacia and James. Maybe. But anyway, this is set at the platform with them saying goodbye. I hope I explained it fully….**

**Oh, and for anyone who has a Facebook, Acacia now has an official Facebook under: Acacia Grace Lestrange.**

XoXo

It was the end of my second year at Hogwarts. Everything was gone that had happened that year and I was ready to start over at the Malfoy's. Unfortunately, that was never going to happen. I had hugged James and hugged Fred; the only ones left were Abby and Aspen. I ran over to Aspen and rugby tackled her to the ground. She laughed and pushed me off of her, pulling me up with her. "Acacia, you have to write every single day this summer!" she said excitedly, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"You know I don't have that kind of will power!" I laughed, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. I smiled and kissed her cheek, waving as I went to hug Abby.

"Hey. Promise you'll visit sometime over the summer? Raine and Abel are staying with us _all_ summer!" Abby complained, giving me a strong hug.

"Why?" I asked, not understanding why Vondurri had to live with one of my best friends. "Are they related to you or something?"

"Yeah. We're cousins. Absolutely horrible, right?" she asked a mock disgusted look on her face. I laughed and hugged her again.

"That's just horrid!" We both collapsed into laughter, drawing the attention of everyone around us. "Anyway. Maybe I'll get Tristan to help me get the Malfoy's to come to your house for dinner or something."

"That would be amazing! You could save me from _so_ much misery!"

I looked around to see if the Malfoy's were there and there was no sign of the shiny silver car. Abby, Aspen, James and Fred had all left and it was only me, Tristan and Scorpius sitting in the platform. I bit my lip and walked over to them, trying not to show any of my nervousness. I started to sing quietly. _"So sentimental, not sentimental no. Romantic, not disgusting yet. Darling, I'm down and lonely when with the fortunate only. I've been looking for something else. Do let, do let, do let, jugulate, do let, do let, do."_

"Why are you nervous?" Tristan asked as I sat down on the ground.

"I'm not nervous!" I said quickly, a little too quickly actually.

"Yes you are. You always sing when you're nervous. Well, you sing quietly when you're nervous. You always sing no matter what," Tristan smiled, laughing a little at me.

"Thanks, Tristan," I said shortly, sticking my tongue out at him. We both laughed and then I looked at Scorpius. He was just sitting on the bench, bouncing his leg up and down, up and down. He was obviously worried about something. "What's up, Scorp?"

"Don't call me that," he said moodily, not looking at me.

"Okay. Something is definitely wrong. What's up my pale blond cousin?" I asked, wrapping my arms around him. He just grunted and shoved me away. "Fine. If you're not going to answer me, I'll just have to sing to you and try to get it out of you! _Let's go slowly discouraged, distant from other interests on your favorite weekend ending. This love's for gentlemen only that's with the fortunate only. No, I gotta be someone else. These days it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes and goes."_

I looked down at him and he was smiling. I couldn't help but feel a little bit proud of myself. I had gotten my cousin to finally smile for me. It had taken Tristan a total of about twelve years to get Scorpius to smile, and it had only taken me a few months. James was right. I had a sort of magnetic quality. Unfortunately, he said my father had the same thing.

"There's Narcissa. Come on. Time to go home," Tristan muttered, getting off of the bench, grabbing his luggage and walking over to the silver car.

"That isn't a home of mine," I whispered, hanging my head and grabbing my luggage. I walked over to the car and shoved my things into the trunk. I looked back at the station and realized I wasn't going back to Hogwarts for a while. I was happy about that, but I was also sort of wary. So many things had happened while I was here and I wasn't sure how I felt about leaving and living at the Malfoys for the summer.

"Acacia! The car!" Narcissa called sharply from the front. I rolled my eyes and sat in the back seat. "No. You are up here with me!"

I rolled my eyes but did what she said. I sat up in the front with Narcissa. I turned the radio on and started to sing along with it. _"Lisztomania, think less be see it grow like a riot, like a riot, oh. I'm not easily offended. It's not hard to let it go from a mess to the masses. Lisztomania, think less but see it grow like a riot, like a riot, oh. I'm not easily offended. It's not hard to let it go from a mess to the masses."_

"Will you please shut that filthy Muggle music off?" Narcissa asked, pinching the bridge of her nose. I shook my head and turned it up louder.

"_Follow, misguide, stand still. Disgust, discourage on this precious weekend ending. This love's for gentlemen only, wealthiest gentlemen only. And now that you're lonely, do let, do let, do let, jugulate, do let, do let, do."_

I could see Narcissa's anger start to grow, so I did what she asked me. I didn't want to have my face hurt at all this summer. I was sick of people asking me what happened to my face, how you fell, so on and so forth! In my opinion, it was better to do what they told you instead of trying to go against it and getting hurt.

I started to sing quietly, trying to let my voice mask the still silence. _"Let's go slowly discouraged, we'll burn the pictures instead. When it's all over we can barely discuss. For one minute only, not with the fortunate only, thought it could have been something else. These days it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes and goes."_

"You know, I don't think that your mother could sing like that," Narcissa said quietly. I rolled my eyes and nodded. "You could probably go to school for that if you really want to sing."

"I'm only thirteen. I have a while before I even need to think about going to school for something," I said disgustedly. She nodded and went back to driving. "Why does it surprise you that I can sing?"

"I guess that because you look like your mother, I expected you to be exactly like her. And you are. With a few improvements that I wish Bella could have had," Narcissa whispered. I hung my head and started to play with my fingers. "What I mean by that is the fact that Bella never forgave anyone easily. Except for Andromeda, that is. She had this odd thing that everyone was against the Blacks. But she was sweet. In her own way, I guess. And so are you."

"Thanks," I said warily, looking at my aunt and seeing what the years had done to her. She was still beautiful, but there was wear and tear on her face. _"Let's go slowly discouraged, we'll burn the pictures instead. When it's all over we can barely discuss. For one minute only, not with the fortunate only, thought it could have been something else. These days it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes and goes."_

"Well, here we are. Bring all your stuff inside and then get ready to go to the Vondurri's," Narcissa said shortly, turning the car off.

"What?!" I practically screamed at her, disbelief written all over my face.

"There is no need to raise your voice, young lady! And we are going to the Vondurri's for dinner this evening. So get ready and look your best." I huffed and watched as she walked inside. I angrily opened up my door and slammed it, grabbing my things from the back and hauling it inside.

"_Lisztomania, think less but see it grow like a riot, like a riot, oh. I'm not easily offended. It's not hard to let it go from a mess to the masses. Lisztomania, think less but see it grow like a riot, oh. I'm not easily offended. It's not hard to go from a mess too the masses."_

I walked inside, stomping up the stairs as I went, not happy about going to the Vondurri's. But then I remembered something. That meant we were going to Abby's! That meant that I could actually spend time with Abby and not have Narcissa and Draco breathe down my neck!

I started to sing loudly and excitedly. _"This is show time, this is show time, this is show time. This is show time, this is show time, this is show time. Time, time is your love, time is your love, yes time is your. Time is your love, time is your love, yes time is your. From the mess to the masses. Lisztmania, think less but see it grow like a ride, like a ride, oh. Discuss, discuss, discuss. Discuss, discuss, discouraged."_

"This is going to be my best summer ever!" I declared, flopping down onto my bed.

XoXo


	46. TARTTANHYJHTOIY

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. I don't own the song either. They are Panic! At The Disco and the song is There's A Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet. **

**This chapter is dedicated to Hyperactive Lioness who showed me the song and who also kept ragging on me until I posted the chapter.**

**Oh, and for anyone who has a Facebook, Acacia now has an official Facebook under: Acacia Grace Lestrange.**

XoXo

I got up off of my bed when I could hear Narcissa's _dulcet_ tones coming up from the kitchen. I grudgingly opened my door and slumped down the stairs. I sat on the bottom step, pulled my sweatshirt hood over my hair and peaked out from the railing. "All the way down here, Acacia," she sighed, beckoning me down from the stairs. "And take that ridiculous hood off. It's not lady-like."

I rolled my eyes, but took my hood down anyway, not wanting to get any fresh bruises on my face. I walked over to her and started to tap my foot, wanting to seem as impatient as I possibly could. "What do you want?" I sighed, cocking my head to the side.

"What did I tell you about your tone?" she asked angrily.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Narcissa," I replied in such a sickly sweet voice that I almost puked saying it. "What is it that you wanted?"

"I wanted to show you what you would be wearing tonight."

"I have to wear something special?" I groaned inwardly. The last thing I wanted to wear was something Narcissa picked out. It was probably going to be pink and frilly. Things I never wore. "Why can't I just wear what I have on?"

Narcissa turned around so fast that I was afraid I would get whiplash. I took a tentative step back and she just looked me up and down. I knew what she would say. I was wearing a sweatshirt, old jeans, my scuffed up trainers and a splattered and stained beater. She raised her eyebrow and pursed her lips. I knew what was going to come next. I was going to get berated for my lack of style and the fact that I never seemed to think about how my appearance affected our family's appearance. There was just one thing that she seemed to be forgetting. We weren't a family! We had never been a family and she wasn't helping that fact at all.

"Acacia. Could you please work with me here?" she sighed like she was annoyed with me. "Could you at least put a clean shirt on, take the sweatshirt off, put those khakis I gave you on and change those trainers into a pair of clean, white flip-flops?" I nodded and plodded up the stairs.

XoXo

An hour later, I was stuck in the back seat of the car with Scorpius and Tristan. Tristan was drowning out the world with his iPod and Scorpius was staring out the window.

"Hey, Scorp. What's the matter?" I asked quietly, shoving his shoulder. He just looked at me with his pale eyes blank and looking like nothing I had ever seen before. "Okay. There's no reason to look at me like that."

"Yeah. I know," he replied, cracking a smile. "You seem excited to go to the Vondurri's. I thought you hated Raine and anything to do with her."

"I do. I'm not going there because I like her! I'm going there because your grandmum is making me!" I grumbled, crossing my arms and boring a hole into the back of Narcissa's golden head.

"Don't look at me like that, Acacia. You'll be forced to stay the night!" Narcissa sighed, glaring at me through the rearview mirror. I rolled my eyes and looked at Tristan. He was smirking at me.

"What are you smirking at?" I asked, shoving him.

"You. Here." He handed me an earbud and nodded. Obviously I was supposed to listen to his amazing and yet odd and assorted songs. I closed my eyes and let the song envelop me in its warm hands.

"_Please, leave all overcoats, canes and top hats with the doorman. And from that moment, you'll be out of place and underdressed. I'm wrecking this evening already and loving every minute of it. Ruining this banquet for the mildly inspiring and…."_

"All right. _Best_ behavior everyone. We need to show them that we are a respectable and completely _pure blooded_ family!" Draco said, eyeing me. I shot him a smile and tossed my long hair behind my back. I unclipped my seatbelt and stepped out of the car, pulling my hair into my sweatshirt hood at the same time. Narcissa shot me a glare while I did this, but I didn't care. I was warm and comfortable and that was the best feeling in the world.

I looked at Abby's mansion. It was beautiful! It had window embellishments and a gorgeous beige exterior. It had a wrought iron gate, trees framing the house beautifully and steps that led up to the main entrance. The front door was covered in everything imaginable. I ran up the steps, my flip-flops smacking the ground with a loud thud and my hood flying back to release my curly locks. I looked back and saw Tristan trudging up the stairs with his iPod still in and his voice forming the words underneath his breath.

"_Please, leave all overcoats, canes and top hats with the doorman. And from that moment, you'll be out of place and underdressed. I'm wrecking this evening already and loving every minute of it. Ruining this banquet for the mildly inspiring and…. When you're in black slacks with accentuating, off-white, pinstripes, whoa, everything goes according to plan."_ I looked up at him with my blue eyes full of excitement. He smiled at me but continued to sing. I joined in this time, loving the next part of the song. _"I'm the new cancer, never looked better, you can't stand it. Because you say so under your breath, you're reading lips, 'when did he get at all confident?'"_

Narcissa, Draco, Astoria and Scorpius walked up beside us and we all took deep breaths. I was nervous about meeting the Vondurris, and yet excited about seeing Abby again. Draco walked up to the door and placed his hand on the knock. With three hard slams he brought his hand down, the door opened and a neatly dressed butler answered our knock.

"May I help you, sirs and madams?" he asked formally, his eyes half-closed and his arms clasped behind his black clad uniform.

"Yes. We are here to have dinner with the Vondurri and Silverstone family," Draco answered just as formally. The butler nodded and led us inside.

My jaw practically dropped to the floor when I saw the shiny marble floors and the pristine staircases that lead up to another level in the house. I had never been in a house this grand. Not even the Malfoy's house was as beautiful as this. Abby came out from somewhere deep in the bowels of the mansion and as soon as she saw me, she ran and hugged me tightly. Tristan smirked at the both of us, still singing the same song.

"_Haven't you heard that I'm the new cancer? Never looked better and you can't stand it! Next is a trip to the, the ladies room in vain and I bet you just can't keep up with, with these fashionistas and tonight, tonight, you are, you are a whispering campaign. I bet to them, your name is "Cheap". I bet to them you look like shh."_

Abby just looked at him with her big green eyes and shook her head to get her bangs out of her face. Her red hair shone with the light pouring in from the window and the blush lighting her face and making it bright red. "Abs. What are we supposed to do here?" I asked impatiently.

"Oh, right. Let me show you my room," she said, tucking her arm into mine and making me skip with her. I started to sing the song my brother was singing before.

"_Talk to the mirror, oh, choke back tears and keep telling yourself that, 'I'm a diva'. Oh and the smokes in that cigarette box on the table, they just so happen to be laced with nitroglycerin. I'm the new cancer never looked better, you can't stand it. Because you say so under your breath, you're reading lips, 'when did he get all confident?' Haven't you heard that I'm the new cancer? Never looked better and you can't stand it."_ I smiled at Abby and she just kept her head down, her long red hair covering her cheeks and smiled a tiny smile back.

"_Haven't you heard that I'm the new cancer? I've never looked better and you can't stand it! Haven't you heard that I'm the new cancer? I've never looked better and you can't stand it. And I know and I know, it just doesn't feel like a night out with no one sizing you up. I've never been so surreptitious, so, of course, I'll be distracted when I spike the punch. And I know and I know, it just doesn't feel like a night out with no one sizing you up. I've never been so surreptitious so, of course, I'll be distracted when I spike the punch. And I know and I know, it just doesn't feel like a night out with no one sizing you up. I've never been so surreptitious so, of course, I'll be distracted when I spike the punch."_

"How do you know that song and why do you know that song?" Abby asked, rolling her eyes.

"You have Tristan to blame, my dear," I laughed, smiling at the blush that crept up her cheeks.

"Hey, Abby. It's time for dinner," I heard Vondurri say from the hallway. I clenched my fists and it was all I could do not to turn around and shoot daggers at Vondurri.

XoXo

**A/N: I'll be going into the actual dinner next chapter and hopefully it will be funny. I'm basing it off of my own dinner parties with my family so it will definitely be interesting! Don't forget to R&R as no one Reviewed this past chapter….**


	47. The Story

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. I don't own the song either. It is Brandi Carlile and the song is The Story. **

XoXo

"Thanks, Raine," Abby sighed, rolling her eyes at me. I giggled and hide my mouth with my hand. "We'll be down in a few minutes. We just need to _freshen_ up." That just made me collapse into laughter. I crumpled to the floor, clutching my stomach and tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Okay. I don't know what the hell your problem is, Lestrange. But I don't think I want to either. Just make sure you two come down or my mum and your mum are going to have hissy fits. We remember the last time that happened, don't we?" Vondurri sneered, turning away and swinging her hips down the hall.

I looked at Abby with a huge smile spread across my face and just crashed into giggles again. She just smiled but didn't say a word. I stood up and smoothed my shirt down, knowing that if my shirt got wrinkled, my khakis had a crease on them or a smudge of dirt was on my shoes, I would get a slap across my face.

"Okay, let's go down. My aunt's going to kill me if I get down there late," I whispered, linking arms with her. A smile spread across her face again and she nodded. I knew that one thing, and only one would be able to cheer her up and that was singing. I opened my mouth and let the words flow out.

"_All of these lines across my face tell you the story of who I am. So many stories of where I've been and how I got to where I am."_ She smiled and started to skip. I laughed and skipped along with her.

XoXo

We were all sitting quietly at our seats, I beside Tristan and Abby, Vondurri and Abel across from us. The only noise was our relatives talking and the house elves feet pattering on the floor. All of a sudden Tristan started laughing and then snorting and then that got the rest of us laughing. We had tears running down our cheeks and all of the adults were just staring at us in disbelief.

"Wh-why did you st-start laughing?" I asked breathlessly. Tristan just shrugged and started to eat again. Abel pulled a rubber band off of his arm and shot it at me. It hit me square in the chest and it hurt! I felt my jaw drop and just gaped at him.

"You are going to get it!" I hissed, narrowing my eyes but letting a smile soften it up.

"I highly doubt it. You can't do anything to me!" he laughed, his green eyes sparkling. I scoffed and picked the rubber band up, snapping it back at him. Vondurri's eyes went from dark to laughing within a few seconds.

"How's that for doing nothing?" I sneered, crossing my arms and sticking my tongue out at him.

"How dare you shoot a rubber band at my brother?!" Vondurri asked with a smirk. Abel just rolled his eyes and shot the rubber band at Abby. It hit her in the forehead and her jaw dropped.

"What are you doing?!" She picked up the rubber band from her plate and shot it at Abel, missing and hitting Tristan instead. Tristan laughed and picked up the rubber band and shot it at the House Elf.

"Way to go, Riddle! You bloody well shot it at my relatives House Elf! Well done. Very well done!" Vondurri laughed, nodding her head and clapping sarcastically.

"Language, Vondurri. I don't want to be forced to shove my wrath down your throat," I sniggered, high-fiving Abby in the process.

"Like you could do anything to her," Abel laughed, winking at me. I felt my cheeks burn with anger at his comment.

"Children!" a tall woman screeched from the head of the table. "Could you not argue and just sit quietly? Please!" I ducked my head down and chanced a look at Tristan. He made a face and I started to laugh even harder.

"So much for quiet," Abby whispered, sending us all into laughter. I took a deep breath and then got a song in my head. Just my luck, right?

"_But these stories don't mean anything when you've got no one to tell them to. It's true, I was made for you,"_ I sang quietly, starting to pick at my food. _"I climbed across the mountaintops travel across the ocean blue. I cross over lines and I broke all the rules and baby I broke them all for you."_

Abby smiled and then started to sing along. _"Oh, because even when I was flat broke you made me feel like a million bucks. You do, I was made for you. You see the smile that's on my mouth. It's hiding the words that don't come out. All of the friends who think that I'm blessed they don't know that I'm in this mess. No, they don't know who I really am and they don't know what I've been through. Like you do, and I was made for you."_

I got up off of my chair and stood next to my seat with Abby. We started dancing and screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs, not caring whether the adults were giving us death glares or not.

"_All of these lines across my face tell you the story of who I am. So many stories of where I've been and how I got to where I am."_

Vondurri finally joined in and started to dance with us. Abby shot her a glare, but didn't stop her singing.

"_Oh, but these stories don't mean anything when you've got no one to tell them to. It's true, I was made for you. Oh yeah, and it's true that I was made for you."_

Narcissa stood up as soon as we were done and glared at us. Mrs. Vondurri stood up as well and cleared her throat. We all sat down sheepishly and waited for her to say something. "Well, while this has been a fascinating dinner. I have announcement for you all," she said sweetly, her eyebrows raised and a smile on her face.

"What's she talking about?" I hissed to Vondurri.

"No idea!" she hissed back, sticking her tongue out and looking at her mother intently.

"We have decided to extend this visit through the weekend. We shall all be staying here at the Silverstones!" she said excitedly. I gaped at Abby who was gaping at her aunt.

What the hell were they trying to pull? Making us stay in one house together!

XoXo

**A/N: Hope it was good. Sorry it was so short! R&R!!!**


	48. Hello Seattle

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my ideas. I don't own the song either. It is Owl City and the song is Hello Seattle. **

XoXo

That night I was dressed in my pajamas and blasting my music in the Silverstone's bathroom. I had my toothbrush in front of me and my toothpaste ready to go on it when a knock at the door made me jump and sent my toothbrush clattering to the floor. I bent to pick it up when the door opened. I sat up, trying to see who it was and cracked my head on the sink. I finally got up without hurting myself and found that I was staring into the glittering green eyes of a certain Abel Vondurri. Tears started to well up in my eyes and I blinked them away rapidly, ashamed of crying in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked through gritted teeth, rubbing my head full-force. He just smiled and walked into the closet. "That wasn't a rhetorical question!"

"Oh, I know. I was just trying to get over the sight of you on the floor and then cracking your head on the sink. Very well done! _Buono lavoro_!" he said in Italian. I narrowed my eyes and then hissed when a headache crawled into my senses.

"Since when do you speak Italian?" I asked, glaring at him through the mirror.

"Well, I _am_ Italian. It is only right that I would speak my native language, is it not?" He winked at me and I rolled my eyes. "You're gonna need ice for that. Unless you want a huge goose egg on the back of your head."

"And where am I going to get this said ice?" I snapped, picking up my toiletries and walking out of the bathroom.

"Come with me," he sneered, cracking a half smile at me.

"How about not?"

"Then I guess you don't need ice!" I rolled my eyes but turned around. My head was aching now and it was all I could do not to snap at him.

"Fine! Show me where the bloody ice is!" I growled, walking over to him. He just smiled and walked down the stairs as though he owned the entire place. I rolled my eyes and started to sing under my breath. _"Hello Seattle, I am a mountaineer in the hills and highlands. I fall asleep in hospital parking lots and awake in your mouth."_

XoXo

I was sitting on the counter while Abel was sprawled on the table in the Silverstone's massive kitchen. I had a towel of ice pressed up against the premature bump that was swelling on my head. Abel was telling me stories about Vondurri and making her out to be the oddest girl on the planet. I was cracking up and all he could do was sit there with a stupid grin on his face and let his green eyes glitter with excitement.

"So what do you do in your spare time, Acacia?" he asked breathlessly, a smile emerging again. "All Raine ever tells me is that you are just a horrible bitch with no sense of how a real witch should act."

"Oh? Is that right?" I asked, the corner of my mouth twitching up into a half smile. "Well, how would she know what a true witch should act like? When was the last time she was courteous to anyone?!"

"Courteous? Now there's a big word! I hardly expected you to be able to use one that large!" I could feel a blush creep up to color my cheeks as he teased.

"I know how to use big words! And I would hardly call that a big word!" I bit back, raising my eyebrows. He nodded and got off of the table. "What are you doing?"

"Are you hungry?" he asked, rummaging around in the refrigerator. "I know for a fact that they keep some ice cream in here!"

"I don't think that that is completely ethical," I whispered, looking around for someone lurking around the corner. "What if someone catches us?"

"They won't. And besides, this is my relative's house! And you didn't use ethical in the correct context. And you call yourself someone that can use words," he scoffed, pulling out a carton of strawberry ice cream. "Grab a spoon."

"Where are they?"

"In the far drawer over there." He pointed as he took the lid off of the ice cream. I nodded and pulled the drawer open as I started to sing.

"_Hello Seattle, I am a mantaray deep beneath the blue waves. I'll crawl the sandy bottom of Puget Sound and construct a summer home. Hello Seattle, I am the crescent moon shining down on your face. I will disguise myself as a sleeping pull and descend inside of you."_ I walked back over to the table and placed a spoon in front of Abel. He smiled and nodded.

"What were you singing?" he asked, digging into the ice cream with a sudden ferocity.

"Nothing," I said shyly, lowering my eyes and taking a tiny spoonful of ice cream. I half expected the heat from my cheeks to melt the ice cream on my spoon.

"There's no need to be embarrassed. You sounded good. Now all I need to know is what the song was," he said convincingly, smiling sweetly. "Please?"

I shook my head and threw my spoon into the sink with a huge clatter. He shook his head and placed the ice cream back in the freezer. I looked at him with my blue eyes huge and wonderment running through my head. He just sighed and walked up the stairs. "Goodnight, Acacia. I'll talk to you in the morning."

I nodded and watched his slender body ascend the stairs. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness ring through my veins. I didn't know what I did, but whatever it was must have been massive or he was just tired. I felt a wave of tiredness fall into my brain and started to go up the stairs myself.

I started to sing quietly to myself. _"Hello Seattle, I am a cold seahorse feeling warm in your sand. I sing about the tide and the ocean surf rolling in the evening breeze. Hello Seattle, I am an albatross on the docks and your boats. I sail above your inlets and interstates through the rain and open wind. Hello Seattle, I am an old lighthouse throwing beams of bright lights. Red in the morning, blue in the evening sun taking heed from everyone. Hello Seattle, I am a mountaineer in the hills and highlands. I fall asleep in parking lots. Take me above your light, carry me through the night. Hold me secure in flight sing me to sleep tonight. Take me above your light, carry me through the night. Hold me secure in flight, sing me to sleep tonight."_

I made it to the room I was to sleep in and snuck a look down the hall. I saw Abel slip into his room silently and couldn't help but want to go talk to him. I watched his shadow as he got ready for bed. I turned away, shaking my head and then climbed into my bed, gratefully slipping into sleep.

XoXo


	49. Seriously

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, only my characters and my ideas. Nor do I own the lyrics, it is Duffy and the song is Seriously.**

**Poidle: To lurk like a creeper (just if you were wondering)**

**XoXo**

I woke up the next morning to someone pounding on my door with incredible force and music pounding all around me. I blinked a few times, trying to abate my tiredness and finally got up out of the comfort of my bed. I walked over to the door that sounded as though it was about to break off its hinges, opened it slowly and cocked my hip to the side. I bit my lip, trying to hide my surprise at seeing Abel Vondurri oustide of my room.

"Morning princes, sorry to wake you, but we do have a day to play out here," he smiled, stepping into my room.

"Leave," I hissed, rolling my eyes. He just laughed and blatantly walked in. When he didn't listen to me, I stalked over to him and tried to push him out of the room.

"Aw, look at the little girl, she's trying to get me out of her room!" he teased, ruffling my hair. I glared at him and tried even harder. He just laughed and enveloped me in his arms. He was warm, and I felt safe in his arms.

"Let me go," I mumbled into his shirt with no conviction. He let me go with one smooth movement. I felt a heat fill my cheeks. "Thanks." He nodded and smiled.

"There, how was that, princess?" he asked smoothly, as though I was five.

"Get out of my room!" I hissed, pushing him out. This time it worked and he skipped lightly out of my room. I sighed, closed my door and bit my lip. What the heck was I doing? I was supposed to hate this guy and here I was, waiting for him to wrap me up again. I shook my head and walked over to my trunk. I pulled on a pink tank top and a pair of jeans. It was something that Narcissa would not approve of, but she would have to deal with it.

After I checked my hair in the mirror, I walked out of my room, surprised to find him waiting patiently outside of my door. He winked at me and frolicked to my side. "What are you doing?" I asked coldly, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at him.

"What?" he asked, trying to be innocent. "I thought you would like me hanging outside of your bedroom."

"Oh, yes. I just love it when boys poidle outside of my door!" I screeched, walking down the ornate staircase. I could hear his heavy footsteps following my own light ones.

"I knew you would!" he said excitedly. I glared at him, but didn't say a word and listened to the music that was pounding around me.

"_I always wanted to see the colors of your destiny. I always wanted to know a flower that would grow. Serious, serious."_

"Calm your glare down. I won't hang around if you don't want me too," he said as he stepped down to my side.

"It's not that," I said quickly, looking into his deep green eyes. "It's that . . . ."

"It's that what?" he asked, trying to extract something from me.

"I don't know. It's just. Tristan's really overprotective and you know how he would react if he saw a guy standing outside of my bedroom door," I whispered, looking at my feet. Abel nodded and smiled, not saying a word.

"_I'm a trophy on your arm, you wear me like a charm, yes you do. An accessory that suits your new suede boots. I got a feeling deep inside. Something just ain't right. I got a feeling that lets me know, baby you never show."_

"There you two are!" Tristan called from the bottom of the staircase. I looked away from Abel and smiled down at Tristan. "I was starting to worry if you two had left the house or not."

"No. I just took a while to get up," I said cheerily, walking down the staircase and not even chancing a look back at Abel.

"Well, I would suggest getting down here," he called to both of us, smiling widely.

"Why?"

"Because we're getting ready to have a game of football." And with that, he turned away, leaving Abel and I alone again.

"Football?" Abel asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

"It's a Muggle sport. I don't like it, so I'm not going to play," I said, smiling at him.

"Oh."

I nodded and ran the rest of the way down the stairs.

"_How you really feel for me. Tell me, can we ever be serious, serious in love? A joke on my expense, in front of all your friends, all the time. A game you like to play leaves me solo every day."_

Abel and I were sitting on the staircase outside of the house, talking and laughing while everyone else played football. "So, how long did you play this sport?" he asked, laughing at how well I knew the games rules.

"Only a year. But you do know that it is Europe's biggest sport!" I said loudly, laughing at his face.

"How can this be Europe's biggest sport? There's no structure in it!"

"That may be so, but it's fun."

"I thought you said you didn't like it."

"I don't but that doesn't mean it's not fun!" He smiled and nodded, watching my every move. I smiled and him and jumped up, grabbing his olive hand.

"What are you doing?" he asked, jumping with me. I put a finger to my lips and ran inside, glad to feel his warmth next to mine. "All right, I am not going any further until you tell me what we are doing!"

"I don't know. I just wanted to come inside. Plus, I could tell you didn't want to be out there anymore," I laughed, letting go of his hand and jumping up on the counter top.

"You were right about that, Lestrange." He smiled, jumping up next to me. He grabbed my hand and I could feel heat rising in my body. He leaned in closer to my face and before I knew what was happening, his lips were against mine. I felt sparks on my lips and I didn't want them to stop.

"_I got a feeling deep inside, something just ain't right. I got a feeling that tells me I know baby you never show. How you really feel for me. Tell me can we ever be? Serious, serious in love? Serious, serious in love? I got a feeling deep inside, something just ain't right. I got a feeling that tells me I know baby you never show. How you really feel for me, tell me, can we ever be, tell me. Serious, serious in love? Serious, serious. Serious, serious. Serious, serious."_

He pulled away and smiled at me, his green eyes brilliant with something I didn't really understand. "How was that Lestrange?" he asked cheekily, laughing. I nodded and wrapped my other hand around his.

**XoXo**

**How was that for coming back? Hope you liked it! I have a few more surprises up my sleeves! Tell me what you thought and the next chapter should be up soon!**

**-Ed **


	50. 1 2 3 4

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own the lyrics, it is Feist and the song is 1 2 3 4.**

XoXo

I looked at Abel with wide eyes and smiled shyly at him. It was like the heavens had opened up and were singing Hallelujah in my face. Abel smiled back and then jumped off of the counter. The smile quickly slid off my face and I stared at him in disbelief. "What are you doing?" I asked, jumping off the counter and catching his hand in mine.

"Your brother is coming inside and I want him to see this," he answered, shooting me a smile. I felt confusion flutter through me and I took a step closer to him. He then put a hand on the small of my back and touched his lips to mine again. This time it was fleeting and almost stolen. When he lifted his head, I saw his smile and felt the tingle on my lips. I reached up to see if something was there.

"Oi!" Tristan yelled, slamming the door shut and ripping me away from Abel.

"Hey!" I yelled back, turning my angry eyes on him. "What are you doing?!"

"What am I doing?! What is he doing?!" Abel didn't shy away from Tristan's loud voice, he just smiled at me and winked.

"All right. Listen to me," I growled angrily, my eyes icy with anger and the hairs on my neck standing up. "You are my brother, yes, I understand that. Does that give you any right to mess with my personal life, sometimes. Now? No. So just go outside and play with Raine and Abby. I am free to do whatever I want without you breathing down my neck!"

And with that I whipped away from him, my dark curls spraying around my face like water and stalked away from him with Abel's warm hand still clasped in my grip. I stopped at the bottom of the stairwell and blindly dropped his hand, hanging my head and gripping it in my hands. I could hear Abel sit down next to me and then his warm hand rubbing my back in comforting circles.

"_One, two, three, four. Tell me that you love me more. Sleepless long nights, that is what my youth was for."_ I sang to him, smiling at him finally. He gave me a half-hearted smile and lifted me up off my seat.

"I'm sorry about that," he said in my ear. "Obviously that didn't go as I planned."

"Obviously," I laughed as he spun me around. "But it was okay. I needed to get some of that out."

"I'm sure." He spun me around again as I sang louder this time.

"_Old teenage hopes are alive at your door left you with nothing but they want some more."_ He lifted me up on his toes and started to dance with me at his level. I rested my head on his shoulder and smiled as I felt myself being rocked back and forth.

"Are you asleep?" he asked with what sounded like a laugh.

"Nope," I mumbled into his clean shirt. I rubbed his shoulder and mindlessly started to sing again. _"One, two, three, four tell me that you love me more. Sleepless long nights, that is what my youth was for."_

I looked up into his dark green eyes and smiled, not able to break away. He smiled and rested his chin in my hair. In that one, fleeting moment, I felt older than thirteen. I felt like I was fifteen and able to compete with the other girls that hung around with Abel. I finally felt like I was loved and that I could say anything I wanted and not be hit for it. I stared defiantly into his eyes and sang at them. _"Old teenage hopes are alive at your door. Left you with nothing but they want some more."_

I looked at the doorway as Abel spun me around one final time and screeched to a halt. There was someone staring at us from the doorway. Abel turned to me with a smile on his face that drooped off when he saw who was at the door.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he asked disgustedly. The girl just laughed and walked farther into the room, her hips swinging and her heels clicking on the floor.

"Is that any way to greet your _girlfriend_, Abel?" she scoffed laughingly, clapping a hand on Abel's shoulder. I gulped and stared disbelievingly at Abel's impassive face.

"Girl-girlfriend?" I stammered, tears gathering at the corner of my eyes. I couldn't believe that Abel had turned out to be _exactly_ like Vondurri and I had been roped into the injustice of it all.

"Acacia..." he said quietly, reaching for me. I blindly pushed away and ran up the staircase into my room. Once I got into my room and ripped open my window, stumbling onto the roof and crawling into a ball and crying my eyes out.

"_Oh, you're changing your heart. Oh, you know who you are. Sweetheart bitterheart now I can't tell you apart. Cozy and cold, put the horse before the cart. Those teenage hopes who have tears in their eyes. Too scared to own up to one little lie. Oh, you're changing your heart. Oh, you know who you are. One, two, three, four, five, six, nine or ten. Money can't buy you back the love that you had then. One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten. Money can't buy you back the love that you had then. Oh, you're changing your heart. Oh, you know who you are. Oh, you're changing your heart. Oh, you know who you are. Oh, who you are. For the teenage boys, they're breaking your heart. For the teenage boys, they're breaking your heart."_

I looked up at the bright sky and resolved to never believe Abel Vondurri again. Once a Vondurri, always a Vondurri. Right?

XoXo

**A/N: I hope you liked it. There were a few twists and turns in there and it was sooo much fun to write! Keep Reading and Reviewing! You know it makes a writers world go round! Haha, just kidding, of course!**


	51. Girlfriend

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own the lyrics, it is Phoenix and the song is Girlfriend.**

XoXo

I heard a noise coming from my window and looked over after I scraped the tears off of my wet cheeks. It was Abby, probably coming to see what happened. I bit my lip and looked away from her as she leaned against my windowsill. "Are you okay?" she asked, not daring to set foot on the roof. "I saw you run upstairs. It looked like you were upset."

"No, I'm fine," I answered shakily, staring at the green trees swaying in the delicious breeze. "I just, overreacted to nothing, it's okay."

"Was it Abel?" she asked expertly, cocking an eyebrow and cautiously crawling onto the roof. I nodded and felt a lonely tear roll down my cheek. "That boy needs bloody girl help!" I laughed, but didn't stop the tears from falling down my cheeks. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you about him."

"No, it's fine. It's my own bloody fault for believing he's any different from his sister," I moaned, biting my nail and trying to stop my lip from trembling. "God! Why am I so stupid!"

"You're not. It's his own fault for being a--" Abby was interrupted by the figure of Abel standing at my window. I glared at him and watched as he motioned for Abby to leave. Abby silently acquiesced and crawled through the window, shooting me one last furtive glance. As Abel courageously crawled out onto the roof, I glared at the trees and tried my best not to look at him.

"What do you want?" I growled, through clenched teeth. I could see him duck his head down and sigh as though he was thinking hard. "That wasn't a rhetorical question. You _are_ supposed to answer it!"

"I know," he answered angrily, turning his harsh green eyes on my own. "I guess what I came to say is that Riely left."

"And?" I hissed harshly, flicking my long dark curls behind my shoulder. "Did you honestly think that that was going to make me run back into your arms and scream your name and whisper sweet love in your ears!" I narrowed my eyes at him and watched as he shrunk underneath the power of my anger. "That's what I thought!"

"Acacia . . . ." he sighed, shaking his head.

"What?!" I snapped, twisting my body away from him. I felt his warm hand on my shoulder, sending a flash of warmth through my body.

"I'm not good at apologies," he said quietly, bringing his emerald eyes to meet my own.

"Funny. I'm not so good at forgiving," I hissed, standing up and crawling through the window, stepping foot in my room and feeling tears gather at the corner of my eyes. I could hear the bright music playing downstairs and felt it's warm tendrils gather me in their forgiving arms.

"_Tired out, not a miracle in days. Deciders for the lonely whispering tears. You try out for nothing then you drop dead, not a miracle in years. Leisure for the lonely whispering unnecessary unless you're in."_

I looked at myself in the mirror and saw that new tears had found their way down my chin. How vulnerable could I pretend to be? I looked back at Abel and saw that he was sitting there with his head down and his body tense. I sighed and cursed myself for actually wanting to go out there and console him. I mean, I was upset because he had kissed me and then his _girlfriend_ came and caught us, he went to her and didn't even care about me! How could I even care about him after he killed my feelings like that?!

A knock came at my door and I rolled my eyes, knowing that it was either Tristan or Vondurri. I walked over to the door as soon as the second knock came and opened the door with surprise coming over my face. "What are _you _doing here?" I asked Scorpius, looking down at his pale blond head. "_Why_ are you here?"

"I saw you were upset, just wanted to make sure you were okay," Scorpius said, lowering his gray eyes. "But I guess you don't need me. I'll just go back downstairs then."

"Yeah. Good choice," I said absentmindedly, shutting the door on him. I put one hand on my hip and the other on my head, trying to understand what was happening. It was only when I saw Abel standing in the middle of my room that I realized how deep his emerald eyes were. How much like chocolate his skin was, and how much I wanted to kiss his pink lips again. "What are you doing in here?" I asked, feigning anger and throwing an article of clothing into my suitcase.

"I had to get back inside somehow," he said sheepishly, smiling at me.

"Wipe that stupid smile off your face!" I hissed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"No need to get upset!"

"Whatever! Just get out of my room!"

"No, I actually like it in here!"

"I don't care!"

"Yeah, you seemed like you didn't care earlier today."

I narrowed my eyes at him and made a move to push him out of my door. Unfortunately, I tripped and almost fell, if it hadn't been for Abel's strong arms wrapping themselves around me and holding me up. He smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. And then, before I knew it, his lips were covering mine, sending a spark through my body. He released me, and I smiled at him, cursing his good looks and charms.

"_Die and succeed, I say it out loud but you just don't care. Farewell, well, well, well, well, well, well 'til you know me well. Farewell, well, well, well, well, well, well 'til you know me well. Girlfriend. We are far from home, I am with you now. I'm am longing you, I am longing us two. Who bought a miracle sells these fortune tears."_ He grabbed my hand and lead me out of my room.

"Did I apologize to you for how horrible I was?" he asked, his green eyes twinkling with sincerity. "Because I am."

"No, but it's all right. I kind of overreacted," I said, my blue eyes falling from their fixated place on his face.

"She wasn't my girlfriend. She just likes to think she is," he explained, a smile twitching on his mouth.

"It must be good to know that you have people vying for your attention."

"Vying, nice word Lestrange."

"Thanks, Vondurri."

"I try." I laughed at that, the last verse of the song filling my mind and my body.

"_December's death or glory how you want it? No, not a miracle in years. Deciders for the lonely wishing death unless. Die and succeed. I say it out loud, but you just don't care. Farewell, well, well, well, well, well, well 'til you know me well. Farewell, well, well, well, well, well, well 'til you know me well. Girlfriend. Die and succeed. I say it out loud, but you just don't care. Farewell, well, well, well, well, well, well. Girlfriend."_ I laughed and looked back at Abel, a smile lighting my entire body.

"Oh, so you went with her," Riely said, her face falling. I stopped, glaring at her with incredible force. "I would have thought you would at least think about it for awhile!"

XoXo

**A/N: I hope you liked it. There were a few twists and turns in there and it was sooo much fun to write! Keep Reading and Reviewing! You know it makes a writers world go round! Haha, just kidding, of course!**


	52. Last Of Days

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own the lyrics, it is A Fine Frenzy and the song is Last Of Days.**

XoXo

I turned around to face Abel, my eyes narrowing as Riely hurried down the stairs. My mouth fell open in disbelief at his incompetence. Abel smiled, his lip perking up and his eyes winking at me. I couldn't believe him! "What? What's the matter now?" he asked, his eyebrow rising into his tan forehead. I shook my head and walked away, anger rising in my body. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. "Come on. Talk to me."

"Does it look like I want to talk to you?" I hissed, my ice blue eyes pointing a glare at him. "I mean, seriously?! You just came up here to talk to me after she told you you had a choice?!" Abel lowered his eyes and dropped his hand. "Exactly! So, you know what? I am going to go back in my room, pack my stuff and leave. Thanks, Abel!"

I clipped past him, walking back into my room, slamming the door shut and sitting down on the floor. I held my head in my hands and pressed play on the iPod that was charging in my room. The music started pumping and I started to throw everything back into my bags.

"_Something causing fear to fly, rising like a dark night in silence. Traveling like a broken boat heading for the sky and I'm an island."_

When I was completely finished with my packing I dug in my bag and found the cell phone that Narcissa had given her the previous night. I dialed a number and waited for James to pick up. As soon as I heard his familiar voice, I felt excitement fill the pits of my stomach. "Hello?" he asked, obviously not accustomed to using a phone.

"Yeah, hi," I said, my voice quick and excited at finally hearing his voice. "It's Acacia."

"Obviously," he laughed, sounding more natural now. "I couldn't mistake that voice anywhere. What's up?"

"Um, I was just wondering if I could crash at your house." I clicked my fingers on the floor beneath me and waited for his answer with baited breath. "I mean, don't feel like you absolutely _have_ to. It's just, I can't deal with my family right now and it would mean a lot."

"Hey, calm down," he said sweetly. I could practically feel his strong arms against my shoulders, forcing me to take a few breaths. "I asked mum and she said it's fine. When are you coming over?"

"Well, I'm at the Silverstone's now, so however long it takes until I get there from here." I heard James sigh exasperatedly and I bit my lip, praying that he would offer to pick me up somewhere along the way.

"Do you need a ride? I could ask dad to come pick you up," James offered, a smile lighting up his voice. "I mean, unless you want to figure a different way to get here."

"No, I think I'll just hitch hike. I'll be fine." I heard James grunt in approval and then the click of the phone going dead. I sighed and turned to my stuff, wondering how in the world I was supposed to carry all of it to the Potters.

I turned to face my iPod and sighed, the weight of the world finally falling off my shoulders. _"I watched you disappear into the clouds, swept away into another town."_

I had a bag over my shoulder, my trunk clutched in my hand and my iPod in my ears. I looked around, making sure that no one was watching me and started to clunk down the stairs. Unfortunately, my trunk made more noise than necessary, fortunately everyone was in the back yard. I stepped out into the cool air and breathed in deeply. This was either going to be the best experience of my life, or the worst. I looked back at the mansion and sighed, making sure that I was just going to walk away and forget about everything that had transpired there.

"Unfortunately, I have no idea how this is going to go over with the Malfoy's," I whispered to myself, setting off in the direction of the Potters. Or what I assumed was the direction of the Potters.

XoXo

A few hours later, I actually arrived at the Potters, much to my surprise. I hesitantly walked up to the door and knocked on it, not expecting anyone to come. _"The world carries on without you, but nothing remains the same. I'll be lost without you until the last of days."_

"Acacia!" came the shrill voice of Lilly. She wrapped her arms around me and squealed. I laughed and hugged her back, feeling more at home than I had in days. "What are you doing here?!"

"Didn't James tell you?" She shook her head and beamed up at me, taking me farther into the house. "Well, I am staying here for a few days. Just until I can go back home."

"Why can't you go back home now?"

"Lil', don't you know it's rude to interrogate our guests," Mrs. Potter said warmly, coming into the room. "Hello, Acacia." She enveloped me in a hug and drew me farther into the house. "I am _so_ glad that you'll be spending some time here. James told me and I think that it's a great idea."

"Thanks, Mrs. Potter. It means a lot," I said, sitting down at the table.

"Oh, call me Ginny." I nodded, smiling brightly at her. "Are you hungry or thirsty? We're about to have dinner in about five minutes. I hope you're hungry."

"Yes, please!" I said brightly, my eyes widening at the sound of food.

"Acacia!" James yelled, attacking me with full force. I laughed and hugged him back. "I didn't think it would take you _this _long to get here."

"Yeah, well, I came from the Silverstone's. That isn't exactly across the pond," I laughed, sitting down again. James laughed back and nodded.

"Hey, why don't we put your stuff upstairs? That way it's out of the way and everything." I nodded and followed him upstairs, my iPod still playing the same song.

"_The sun is in the east, rising for the beasts and the beauties. I wish that I could tear it down, plant it in the ground to warm your face. I built myself a castle on the beach watching as it slid into the sea. The world carries on without you but nothing remains the same. I'll be lost without you, until the last of days, until the last of days. Through walls and harvest moons I will fight for you. The world carries on without you but nothing remains the same. I'll be lost without you until the last of days, until the last of days."_

I looked around the house, realizing that this was where I had wanted to be all along. I had only wanted to go somewhere that I could feel loved and the only way I could do that was if I was around my friends. Or Tristan. But seeing as that wasn't an option, I had to make do with what I had.

XoXo

**A/N: I hope you liked it. There were a few twists and turns in there and it was sooo much fun to write! Keep Reading and Reviewing! You know it makes a writers world go round! Haha, just kidding, of course!**


	53. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own the lyrics, it is Ke$ha and the song is Dancing With Tears In My Eyes.**

XoXo

"Okay, so this is my room. You can stay here, if you really want to," James said, pushing open his door. A wave of something disgusting hit my nose and I closed my eyes. "What? What's the matter?" I shook my head, bit my tongue and looked inside. The floor was covered with clothing and food debris. The bed was barely visible and Albus was laying in the middle of something brown. "What do you think?"

"I think that your room is very unique," I said, picking my way through it. "Especially the, uh, smell." James laughed and nodded, putting his hands on his hips and smiling proudly. "Can I see Lily's room?"

"Sure." James led me out of his foul room and took me to Lily's. "So, why didn't you call Aspen or Abby? They seem more open to spending time with you."

"Are you saying you don't want me here?" I asked, fake hurt spreading through my voice as I punched him on the arm. "Ow!"

"Loser!" he joked, smiling at me. I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed even harder. "No. I mean, I was just kind of a random choice for staying with. Here's Lily's room."

"Thanks." I looked in and was surprised at the contrast of her room and her brothers. "Are you sure you two are related." James laughed and pushed me in.

"Yes!" James laughed, shouldering past me. I stuck my tongue out at him and threw my stuff on the ground. "I wouldn't do that yet. Lily hasn't said yes yet and she's _very_ territorial." I nodded sarcastically and flopped down on the bed. "I'm serious! Not that she would have a problem with you, but she does tend to get really out of hand if you don't ask her."

"And I'm sure she would hate it if I played my music too," I smiled, letting my head loll back over the side of the bed and offering him a lazy smile. James laughed and lay on the bed next to me.

"All right, Lestrange. Let's see what music you got!"

I nodded and rolled over, plugging my iPod into the speakers that I had brought with me. The music started to burst from the speakers and I started to sing along with it. _"Here we go. Welcome to my funeral. Without you I don't even have a pulse. All alone it's dark and cold. With every move I die."_

James watched every move I was making, his brown eyes warm and inviting. I looked up at the ceiling, secretly loving the feeling of his eyes on my face. I started to tap my foot and just whisper the words. _"Here I go, this is my confession, oh. A lost cause nobody my soul, I am so delusional. With every move I die."_

"Don't watch me like that," I whispered, rolling onto my stomach and placing my hand in my hair. He smirked, and put his hands behind his head.

"Why?" he asked knowingly, turning his eyes back onto my face. It wasn't a bad look, it just seemed like he knew all of my secrets. "Does it make you feel uncomfortable?" I nodded slowly, turning my ice blue eyes away from his familiar face.

I turned back to the music and started to sing again. _"I have destroyed our life, it's gone. Payback is sick, it's all my fault. I'm dancing with tears in my eyes. Just fighting to get through the night. I'm losing it. With every move I die."_

I rolled off the bed and started to walk around, pulling stuff out of my trunk and putting it away. _"I'm fading, I'm broken inside. I've wasted the love of my life. I'm losing it! With every move I die. When did I become such a hypocrite? Double life, lies that you caught me in. Trust me, I'm paying for it. With every move I die."_

I looked back at James, he was still just staring at me. I finally decided to go over to the bed. I knelt and crossed my arms over each other on the bed. "Did you miss me?" I asked suddenly, a half smile playing on my lips.

"Kind of," he answered, brushing a piece of hair away from my face. I laughed and ducked my head underneath my arms. "What about you? Did you miss all of us?"

"It's barely been a week, but I would be lying if I said no," I said, my voice muffled because of my arms. James laughed and forced my head up. I was singing again. _"On the floor I'm just a zombie. Who I am is not who I wanna be. I'm such a tragedy, with every move I die. I have destroyed our life, it's gone. Payback is sick, it's all my fault."_

James smiled and then got off of the bed and joined me on the floor. I scrunched my eyebrows up and thought about how much I missed him. He laughed at my face and I stuck my tongue out at him. But then the bedroom door opened and we both looked back at whoever just entered. It was Lily and her lips were pursed and anger was evident on her eleven-year-old face. "What are _you_ doing in here?" she asked scaldingly, crossing her arms and glaring at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked sweetly, standing up and brushing my jeans off. Lily just shook her hair out and turned to the music.

"What is playing in my room?" I had forgotten it was playing and let the last few lines of the song fill my brain.

"_I'm dancing with tears in my eyes, just fighting to get through the night. I'm losing it, with every move I die. I'm fading, I'm broken inside. I've wasted the love of my life. I'm losing it, with every move I die. This is it and now you're really gone this time. Never once thought I'd be in pieces left behind. I'm dancing with tears in my eyes, just fighting to get through the night. I'm losing it, with every move I die. I'm fading, I'm broken inside. I've wasted the love of my life. I'm losing it, with every move I die."_

I watched Lily's anger dissipate and her normal bubbly attitude come back. "Are you gonna stay here?" she asked brightly, hugging me.

"I guess so," I said uncertainly, looking back at James who nodded. "If you want me in here."

"Of course I do! This is gonna be so much fun!" I shrugged and hugged her back, happy to be accepted by her.

XoXo

**A/N: I hope you liked it. There were a few twists and turns in there and it was sooo much fun to write! Keep Reading and Reviewing! You know it makes a writers world go round! Haha, just kidding, of course!**


	54. Blue Lips

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own the lyrics, it is Regina Spektor and the song is Blue Lips.**

XoXo

I tossed and turned in my bed, sleep not coming and the nightmares drawing their fists tighter upon my mind. I clenched my fists, tightened my jaw and screwed my eyes shut until I could see nothing. But it didn't help. All I could see was my mother, her dark beauty surrounding her and her anger evident on her face. She turned to my father and smiled, not a happy smile, a malicious smile. She had fangs, fangs that bit through her lips and glistened in the dark sky. I trembled, tears coursing down my cheeks. The sky was dark and tumultuous. I was scared and wanted to leave, but I couldn't wake up. I turned away for a split second and saw Aspen sitting on a rock, her long hair blowing in the wind and his voice carrying towards me.

"_He stumbled into faith and thought, 'God, there is all there is.' The pictures in his mind arose and began to breathe and all the gods and all the worlds began colliding on a backdrop of blue."_

I wrapped my arms around themselves and trembled with fear. My mother glared at me and started to walk over to me. I screamed, a sound that was ethereal and strained to my own ears. She gripped my wrist and pulled me over to a sharp indent of a cliff. I looked over the side and saw my Aunt Andromeda, her clothing in tatters and bloody scratches all over her face. I screamed again, only to be cut off by my mother's low growl of a voice.

"Dare you scream again?" she hissed, bringing her all to familiar face close to mine, I whimpered and felt more tears caress my cheek. "That's what _she_ did." She pointed to Aunt Andy and laughed maliciously. "You are my daughter and you must do what you are told!"

I nodded but didn't say a word. My mother frightened me and I didn't know what to do. She leaned her head back to the churning sky and let out a barking laugh. I felt something swell up inside of me and used it. _"Blue lips, blue veins."_ I watched as she turned to me, anger burning through her face. She slapped me, rocked my head back and then pulled my long hair. I couldn't stop singing. I wanted to watch her suffer. _"He took a step but then felt tired. He said I'll rest a little while. But when he tried to walk again he wasn't a child and all the people hurried fast, real fast. And no one ever smiled."_

I gasped for breath, something pressing down on my lungs. My mother had a look of disgust on her beautiful face and I breathed in deeply. I felt tired, so tired. Could I just fall asleep for a split second? Then I would resume the fight against my mother.

"Acacia, you can't give up," James whispered from behind me. "Keep fighting. Don't give into the tiredness. I'm right here." I nodded and put my head on his shoulder, trying to fight the tiredness behind my eyes. I finally stood up, James hand on my shoulder and the fight back in my eyes.

"_Blue lips, blue veins. Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away. Blue lips, blue veins. Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away." _I sang out at the top of my lungs, my hands clenched by my sides and my blue eyes dancing with something I had never felt before. _"He stumbled into faith and thought 'God, there is all there is'. The pictures in his mind arose and began to breathe and no one saw and no one heard. They just followed the lead the pictures in his mind arose and began to breathe."_

James stood next to me, his warm hand saving me from backing down. I looked at him, my blue eyes swimming with exhaustion. He shook his head and joined in the song. _"And no one saw and no one heard they just followed the lead. The pictures in his mind awoke and began to breed."_

My mother came towards me again, striking James so hard his head rocked back and he fell back on the hard rocks of the cliff. My breath caught in my throat and I screamed his name. My mother leaned over him, a malicious smile on her red lips and hatred flourishing in her eyes. "STOP IT!" I screamed, my fists clenched to my sides and spit gathering on my lip. "DON'T HURT HIM! WHAT DID HE EVER DO TO YOU?" Tears were rolling down my cheeks involuntarily. I watched my mother turn to me and smack my own head back. I could taste blood in my mouth. I rolled over and spit the red out.

"Does that hurt?" I nodded, fear setting in, taking over the bravery I once had. "Good! Come with me." I shook my head, clinging to rock I was sitting on. "Come girl, don't make me force you."

"What about James? He's lying on a rock!" I screeched looking back at my friend. "And I'm not going anywhere with you!" She grabbed my wrist and hauled me up to my feet. "Ow! What are you doing? I don't even know you!"

"Something that even I-" She was cut off by James struggling to stand up. "What are you doing you little son of a bitch!"

"Hey!" I screamed, putting myself between both of them. "Don't talk to him like that!" My mother scoffed, her dark eyes becoming black with death. I took a step back and gasped sharply. "What's happening?" I whimpered, leaning into James' arms. He shook his head, confusion lighting up his face.

He leaned into my ear as my mother was reduced to a pile of ash and started to sing quietly. _"They started off beneath an olive tree and they chopped it down to make a picket fence and marching along the railroad tracks. They smiled real wide for the camera lens as they made it past the enemy lines. Blue lips, blue veins. Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away. Blue lips, blue veins. Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away."_

I turned away from him, tears scouring my eyelids. I could hear his steps behind me. I turned back to face him and started to sing with sobs ripping out of my body. _"Blue, the most human color. Blue lips, blue veins. Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away. Blue, the most human color. Blue lips, blue veins. Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away. Blue, the most human color. Blue lips, blue veins. Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away."_

XoXo

I woke up, tears streaming down my cheeks and cold sweat layering my body. I was shaking and Lucy was standing over me. I rolled over and felt sick. I took a few deep breaths and tried to figure out what had just happened.

XoXo

**A/N: I hope you liked it. There were a few twists and turns in there and it was sooo much fun to write! Keep Reading and Reviewing! You know it makes a writers world go round! Haha, just kidding, of course!**


	55. I Made It

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own the lyrics, it is Kevin Rudolf, Birdman, Lil' Wayne and Jay Sean and the song is I Made It.**

XoXo

Thunder cracked outside of the window that I had thrust open before I went to sleep. The clouds were churning from what I could see from the bed. I looked at Lily who had a look of complete terror on her face. "Are you all right?" she asked, a hand over her mouth. I nodded breathlessly, my chest heaving up and down. The shadows seemed to swirl and I couldn't get the terrifying images out of my head . My mother was cowering over, her presence like a rain cloud that only followed _me._

I didn't want to turn out like her, but what if I didn't have a choice? What if I turned out like her and started to kill all of my friends because they were blood traitors? Or what I thought blood traitors were. I was scared, more terrified than I had ever been in my life before.

"Lily, where's the kitchen?" I asked, my voice sounding like shoes crunching on gravel. She pointed down the stairs and I nodded my thanks, getting off my bed and making my way down.

I walked down the stairs semi-silently, trying not to wake anyone up. I started to sing a song under my breath, trying to calm myself down. _"Yeah, cash money heroes. Prove jets, polish, fly."_ A step underneath my foot creaked and I winced visibly, continuing to sing under my breath. _"I look up to the sky, and now the world is mine. I've known it all my life. I made it, I made it! I used to dream about, the life I'm living now. I know that there's no doubt, I made it, I made it!"_

I stepped into the kitchen, darkness flowing through the silent room. I shivered, my tank top not covering my shoulders and my shorts not covering my legs. I walked into the kitchen, preparing to just get a drink of water and then I'd go back up to the room. But, of course, because my life rarely turns out the way I want it to, I realized that there was someone in there. Thank God it was only one person, otherwise I would have peed my bloody pants.

"Hey," said a voice I knew all to well. I rolled my eyes and made to turn around, not caring if I got that drink of water or not. But then that hand wrapped around my wrist like it had at least twice and I rolled my eyes, wishing that the day would just end and I could go back to something normal. "Can I talk to you?"

"Depends on what you want to talk about," I spat, hatred filling my body.

"Just what happened," Abel said, turning the light on and pulling me into a chair next to him. I rolled my eyes and bit my lip, trying not to smile at how happy I was to see him. "Are you all right?"

"What do you care?" I hissed, surprised at my ability to mask my real emotions. Maybe I should become a Muggle actor. "You obviously didn't care about Riely's feelings. You just kinda threw her out the door without a care in the world."

"Okay. So that was stupid! But hey, you can't say that you didn't like just one day of feeling wanted," Abel smiled, his green eyes sparkling in the dim light.

"Other girls would probably smack you after you said that. Count yourself lucky for me," I said sarcastically, pulling my hair into a ponytail. Abel rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Okay, maybe it was stupid for me to choose you over her after only knowing you for like a day. But I felt a connection. Call me crazy, but I really did," Abel offered, everything sincere about him now. I shook my head, not wanting to listen to this craziness. "Please. Just hear me out. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you and I just—I wanted to know if it was the same for you."

"If I give you an answer, will you leave me alone?" I asked, looking up at him with my ice blue eyes. He nodded eagerly, practically foaming at the mouth. "Yes. It was."

I heard the sharp intake of breath and automatically felt a sharp stab of not knowing what was coming next.

"_Known from the city where no one believed in me, but I never give up the fight. Ya, but now on top. I told you to let it rock, the moneys fallin' from the sky-y-y-y. I look up to the sky and now the world is mine. I've known it all my life I made it, I made it! I used to dream about, the life I'm living now, I know that there's no doubt. I made it, I made it! Yeah, YM, CMB baby. Birdman swagged out. 100. Rooftop, hella choppa burning smoke. Louie bag stay strapped wit a priceless globe. High life, flippin' and get some more. Paradise, the luxury marble floor. When I hit, hit me full of that cash. More money than I seen in a garbage can. Stunna island, money and the power. Thats how we do it, make it rain make it shower. Top floor, big timer doing bog things, over city views bought shawty new range. Flip another 100, poppin' throwing hundreds. In a new Bently, uptown stunna! I look up to the sky, and now the world is mine. I've known it all my life, I made it, I made it! I used to dream about, the life I'm livin' now. I know that there's no doubt. I made it!"_

XoXo

**A/N: I hope you liked it. There were a few twists and turns in there and it was sooo much fun to write! Keep Reading and Reviewing! You know it makes a writers world go round! Haha, just kidding, of course!**


	56. It Ends Tonight

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter,.**

**You guys stuck it out! It's finally over! Anyway, I'm so proud of you guys! You handled every single little twist and turn that I put you through! And can I say just one thing? If anyone feels compelled to pick this story up and continue it or whatever, then feel free! I won't be offended! But there it is! A lot of hard work, thought and well, just plain fun. I hope you guys loved it! Because I liked reading your reviews and they helped me to truck through it! I would thank each of you individually but that would take way too long because there is soo many of you! But just know that you guys are in my heart and Acacia is a part of you just as much as she is a part of me! I know some of you will hate this, but this is the ending and it's not changing! But, review me or PM me and take it up if you want it!**

**Dreaming Out Loud was my biggest achievement, just so you guys know that this wasn't random!**

XoXo

_So this is the end. The end of my story, the end of whatever legacy that I had left behind._ Those were my only thoughts as I watched my baby girls run away and onto the train. They were a mix of James and I. Andromeda had my eyes and the fierce way that handled things but she had James thoughtfulness and mischievous attitude. Adalia was completely James. I had to laugh as she ran back to me and attacked my legs.

Okay, so by now you're probably wondering what the heck is happening! The last thing I remember is Acacia getting together with Abel! Well, that fell through the cracks. Abel and I were happy, for a little while. Basically the entire third year. But then he was just getting to old and we fell apart. I don't know what he's doing now.

During the summer of my sixth year Tristan died in a fire that burned the entire Malfoy Mansion. I still can't look around without thinking about him. It was tragic and I still can't believe that he's gone. I was almost sent to America to get treatment for depression. But of course, we can't have that can we?

Fred and Aspen, as you can imagine got married. They were married right after seventh year. They have two little boys that were two years apart. Alexander and Mason. Alexander and Adalia are the cutest little friends ever. But you're not really interested in that are you?

"Are you okay?" James asked, breaking me out of my thoughts and bringing me back to what was happening around me.

"Of course. It's just a little odd to see them run off and remember how much different my experience was," I whispered, leaning down to kiss the top of Adalia's head. "I mean, I was an orphan, an outcast with a past that was sketch if anything." James smiled and nodded, wrapping his arm around my waist.

After seventh year, everything had fallen apart. I had become a tyrant, screaming at everyone because I couldn't deal with life without Tristan. He was just the one that calmed me and made me feel that everything was normal even when it wasn't.

"You're doing it again," Aspen said, a smile on her lips and sarcasm laden through her voice. Her long blonde hair had begun to darken and she looked happier than she had been in awhile. "You look worried and I know what that means. You have to stop thinking about him."

"I wasn't thinking about him," I said indignantly, glaring at her like we used to.

"Yes you were," Fred smiled, coming up behind her and ruffling his red hair. "We all know that look very well."

"Well, it's time you stayed in your own business!" I said harshly, glaring at all of them, but only half meaning it. "Besides. We're not here to figure out whether I need treatment or not. We're here to watch our kids leave."

"Fine. Let's watch them leave and then we'll talk about you and your _problems_," James said sarcastically, shoving my shoulder.

We waved goodbye to our children and turned away, a final chapter closing in a part of our lives. It was sad, but also sweet. We were finally going to show our children a normal life and we were going to give them everything they needed. It was a good feeling. If only Tristan was here to see it.

XoXo

**A/N: I hope you liked it. There were a few twists and turns in there and it was sooo much fun to write! Keep Reading and Reviewing! You know it makes a writers world go round! Haha, just kidding, of course!**


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